Aniek van Alphen spectacularly won the Cyclo-cross World Cup in Flamanville. The leader of Seven Racing surprised in France with a strong race and a long solo, holding off Amandine Fouquenet and comeback kid Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado among others. For Van Alphen, this is her first major victory since the Exact Cross Essen in December 2022; she is also the new leader in the World Cup.
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2025 |  Aniek van Alphen |
| 2023 | Lucinda Brand |
| 2022 | Fem van Empel |
| 2018 |  Marlene Petit |
| 2017 |  Christine Majerus |
| 2015 | Caroline Mani |
| 2013 | Pauline Ferrand-Prévot |
The early lead in Flamanville went to Amandine Fouquenet, the French champion, who, together with Leonie Bentveld, took the front of the race. In this World Cup, one did not see World Cup leader Lucinda Brand or Sara Casasola, the number two in the standings. However, at the start were Shirin van Anrooij and the returning Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado. They found themselves around tenth place in the opening lap.
A strong Ceylin Alvarado was immediately in contention for the podium - photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
Van Alphen breaks away from the rest
Aniek van Alphen also had a good start and took the initiative in the opening lap, causing several splits in the lead group. She brought Bentveld along, while Fouquenet struggled the most. Behind them, a group formed with Inge van der Heijden, Alvarado, and Marion Norbert Riberolle. The Belgian champion, however, crashed and lost contact with the Dutch duo.
After fifteen minutes of racing, only five riders still had a chance for victory. A strong Van Alphen showed no signs of stopping, and dropped Bentveld. She began a solo break in the third lap (out of six). Fouquenet and Bentveld were then 10 seconds behind, with Alvarado and Van der Heijden 15 seconds back. Behind them, Van Anrooij was the ‘best of the rest’ half a minute behind the leader.
🚵🇫🇷 | Wat een superstart van Aniek van Alphen. Ze rijdt ijzersterk en lijkt op weg naar een hele mooie en grote overwinning. 🇳🇱
📺 Stream cross op HBO Max pic.twitter.com/zezZDCIVj1
— Eurosport Nederland (@Eurosport_NL) November 30, 2025
Alvarado contends for the podium
The very strong Van Alphen was unleashed in Flamanville. The chasers clustered together but, led by Alvarado, did not gain a meter on the leader. Van Alphen extended her lead to more than 20 seconds. Her advantage hovered around that margin in the last two laps. Fouquenet tried to break away from Alvarado, Bentveld, and Van der Heijden. Only Alvarado could keep pace with the Frenchwoman.
In the final lap, Van Alphen’s leading position was no longer in danger. The most exciting battle was for second place. With a strong acceleration, Fouquenet pulled away from Alvarado. The French champion was thus able to secure a podium place on home soil, while Alvarado celebrated her comeback with third place. Van der Heijden, Bentveld, and Van Anrooij followed her in the final results.
Unique win and double victory for Van Alphen
After a fifth place in Tábor and her win in Flamanville, Van Alphen can now call herself the new leader in the Cyclo-cross World Cup, especially since Lucinda Brand decided to skip this race with an eye on a busy December. As remarkable as Van Alphen’s victory was, it is her first win in a televised cross since December 10, 2022, when she was the best in the Exact Cross Essen.
UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup - Flamanville| Rank | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 47:26 | |
| 2 | + 16 | |
| 3 | + 22 | |
| 4 | + 44 | |
| 5 | + 50 | |
| 6 | + 01:03 | |
| 7 | + 01:07 | |
| 8 | + 01:19 | |
| 9 | + 01:21 | |
| 10 | + 01:45 |
| Rank | Rider | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lucinda Brand | 280 | |
| 2 | Aniek van Alphen | 208 | |
| 3 | Amandine Fouquenet | 158 | |
| 4 | Leonie Bentveld | 148 | |
| 5 | Shirin van Anrooij | 139 | |
| 6 | Inge van der Heijden | 135 | |
| 7 | Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado | 134 | |
| 8 | (2) | Puck Pieterse | 120 |
| 9 | Manon Bakker | 115 | |
| 10 | (2) | Denise Betsema | 114 |
