Amandine Fouquenet wins internationally tough Superprestige Gullegem

Amandine Fouquenet has claimed victory at the Superprestige Gullegem. The French rider, who earlier this season also won the Superprestige Heusden-Zolder, made the difference in the penultimate lap. Marion Norbert Riberolle finished second, with the surprising Rafaelle Carrier in third. The latter overtook Aniek van Alphen in the final meters, keeping the Dutch rider off the podium.

Several big names from women’s cyclocross were absent from the Superprestige Gullegem. Lucinda Brand and Puck Pieterse were, for example, not present, but precisely because of this an open contest was expected. And a battle involving many nationalities. The Frenchwoman Amandine Fouquenet was the top favorite in her first race for Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw, but with Zoë Backstedt, Marion Norbert Riberolle, and Superprestige leader Aniek van Alphen, Great Britain, Belgium, and the Netherlands also had strong contenders.

Fouquenet, Van Alphen and Norbert Riberolle
In the first of six laps, Fouquenet immediately took the initiative. Van Alphen, Backstedt, and Neff followed closely behind. A small gap opened behind them, but at the finish line Norbert Riberolle was able to rejoin, and the rest were still close. After Van Alphen made a mistake early in the second lap, Fouquenet increased the pace sharply. She created a gap and rode solo. Seven seconds later, a group including the previously mentioned riders plus Hélène Clauzel, Line Burquier, and Rafaelle Carrier, an 18-year-old talent from Canada, followed.

A few minutes later, Fouquenet was joined again by Van Alphen and Norbert Riberolle. Backstedt and Carrier remained just a few seconds behind, while a group with Neff had fallen further back. It looked tough for them to catch back up to the front, as Norbert Riberolle pushed hard in the fourth lap. Van Alphen had to drop back briefly, managed to return later, but then ran into trouble again. With two laps remaining, Norbert Riberolle and Fouquenet seemed to hold the best cards.

Victory for Fouquenet
The race was decided in the fifth lap. Fouquenet opened a gap early in the lap and extended it through a strong sandy section. At the bell, she had a nine-second lead over Norbert Riberolle, who in turn had two seconds on Van Alphen. Neither was yet secure on the podium, as Carrier was still in sight.

The top two positions did not change in the final lap: Fouquenet took the win, Norbert Riberolle came second. Van Alphen seemed headed for the last spot on the podium, but Carrier caught her at the very end. The Dutch rider did gain valuable points for the Superprestige standings. Fouquenet clawed back three points, but with only one round remaining, she still trails Van Alphen by seven points. Inge van der Heijden, who was second before Saturday, was absent at Gullegem and is no longer a contender for the overall win.