It was wet and pouring rain. The Dutch in their orange jerseys dominated the front row. The green light shined, and they were off. Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado got off to the best start—taking the hole shot. But around that first turn, on the first bit of mud in the race, Alvarado crashed, holding up those behind and forcing the rest of the field to go even wider in the turn. But despite that the Dutch still had five other riders in the top six. Over the bridge and into the first section of sand, who was on the front riding away? Yes, of course, across the sand, it had to be the Scheldecross winner: Denise Betsama—the Dutch were firing off their first arrow. Of course, this is isn’t exactly true. The teamwork was not here today with the Dutch, because about five of their riders were legitimate favorites for the win. Behind Dutch “teammates” Lucinda Brand and Annemarie Worst chased, but Betsama strongly distanced them over the rideable sand—by the top of the recrossing of the bridge Betsama was ten seconds ahead.
Betsama blew the race open in that moment. Already the entire race was broken into chasers of ones and twos. Onto the grassy back half of the course, the grass was extremely muddy and slippery: the riders would need to beware. Betsama leading, Brand tracking behind, Worst chugging to draw even with Brand, Yara Kastelijn and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado further back. Was it anticlimactic to see before the first lap was even over it was five Dutchwomen in the top five chasing each other down across an already 30 second gap? Not yet, not yet. Betsama has jumped to these early leads all season, and it was highly questionable if she could hold off Brand and Worst’s ensuing chase, and what if Alvarado could come on strong after her initial fall? The sand sections were absolutely brutal. Betsama rode well, but her running was not on par with the others. Brand rode the firmer sand going to the far outside of the course. Alvarado clearly seemed off her best day. Perhaps it was the wet and cold conditions: the sand was intense, the bridge was no simple challenge, and they all needed to keep on high alert around the muddy tricky turns of the back side of the course.
Annemarie Worst caught up to Brand by the bridge of the second lap, and from there the two did a combined chase of Betsama still ahead. Alvarado and Kastelijn chased together in fourth and fifth. And behind that? All were wilting, all save one: the American Clara Honsinger in her blue jersey with stars and stripes. Once more she had a subpar start, but now she was warmed up, now she was ready to go hunting for orange Dutch jerseys that stick out O! so clearly. Perhaps Clara needs to add on one lap before the race starts, for clearly she seems to always need a few minutes warm up.
The race really started to come alive on the third of five laps. Betsama, Denise Betsama proved she is the best sand-rider in the peloton. But alas! Alas for Betsama, she does not have the sand-running prowess to complement the riding. On the running sand sections, Betsama was hawked down by Brand and Worst. O! Denise! This was your opportunity to take the rainbows, but alas! now you are caught be Lucinda Brand and Annemarie Worst—no! Riding across the sand, Worst churning and riding in the deep—using all her energy to ride through—touched Brand’s back wheel with her own front wheel: over the bars she went, planting her whole body into the sand. Worst got up quickly, but now the chase was on as Brand pushed the pace ahead with Betsama clinging on to her wheel.
Now the race was absolutely full gas, Brand was throwing everything at this to distance Worst for good—Betsama hung on for the ride as best she could. Worst frantically chased. And a separate battle behind was forming as American Honsinger chased Alvardo and Kastlijn to break the Dutch dominance. But in one of the turns into a slippery little ridge, Brand’s backwheel slipped out and she was down, while Betsama lost traction over the top. Behind Worst fought on to continue battling towards them. On, on the chase went into that fourth lap, things may have only been status quo, but O! this was a finely-balanced chase and race. Over and down the bridge, Worst rode faster and further across the deep sand that Betsama and Brand who were ahead of her. Along the shore, Worst literally rode her momentum and chased down Betsama and Brand. After the running section in front of the beautiful Colonnade, Worst was almost back on. Running to the bridge, Worst assuredly finally and definitively latched back on, after exactly one full lap of chasing since she had fallen in the same place. Worst went straight to the front and set the pace up and over the bridge. Thus it was a trio of leaders, with it all to play for: who would ride this last lap and a half fastest to take the World Title? Behind, Honsinger had caught Alvarado and Kastelijn in the fight for fourth, how much further could Honsinger advance. 43 seconds ahead were the trio, the trio fighting for the podium, could Honsinger get within a shout of them? All three stomped through the muddy grass, even Betsama alone so early seemed to be having a second wind—pushing the pace, landing some blows on her two rivals. And once more, Worst slipped and crashed in the mud, two already for her! But by the finish line, Worst heard the bell at the same time as Brand and Betsama, because already she was shoulder to shoulder with them once again.
Over the bridge and into the sand for the last time! Surely, the deep sand, the most challenging part of this course would decide this race. Off the bridge and across the sand to the shore, once more Worst rode the sand best, creating a gap. Brand got off the bike and was chasing, but Betsama wavered and was held up in the sand, the gap was created and in the heat of this race, that was all she wrote for Betsama—no matter how frantically she fought to catch back on. Alas! The running sections were the final dagger for Betsama—her relative weakness was fully exploited. And thus, the race was now down to two.
Brand was up for this now, on the final sand run to the bridge, she distanced Worst as well. But Worst had the guts and the heart to match her, with all her strength she came back to draw even with Brand on the steep-ramped bridge. For the last time up the bridge, they both threw everything at it on that 21% ramp. Brand went over first by a hair and created a second gap on the descent. But onto the grass once again, Worst chased her down again—Worst who had already crashed and chased back twice. Behind Betsama was fading, resigned to only defend her podium position. And in fourth American Clara Honsinger was definitively distancing Kastelijn and Alvarado behind—what a revelation she has been this year, a hope for years to come is this young American.
But up front, once more Worst chased down Brand, both on the full limit. Worst not only caught Brand, she passed her to dictate that absolutely highest of paces. There was only one muddy half-lap to go in this World Championship and yet still the race was neck-and-neck. Twice Worst had clawed her way back with huge efforts, finally it was her time to attack: after chasing back both those times, surely she had proven she was on the best form this day—she was the one with the biggest engine. But then, only ten seconds since taking the lead, up a slick muddy ridge. Worst took a more rounded outside line and yet still she struggled for traction. Brand went on the steeper inside and also stomped the pedals to find traction as well. Into the apex of the turn their shoulders met, they were even and on the same trajectory. The shoulders rubbed, and Worst with her more curving line slipped and fell over into the mud as Brand stayed upright. And that was it, that was the race, clear for every viewer to see! Brand was strong and confident, the fall cost Worst maybe only five seconds, but that was all Brand needed. She stayed upright and kept on the pressure for the rest of the race. Worst who had chased down Brand two or three times already, did not have enough distance or time to chase down Brand once more, even though alas! Worst certainly had the engine.
Brand came to the final straightaway and finally gave a look back in the final corner, then she knew she had it, she knew she was the new World Champion. And Worst? 8 seconds back, and you could see on her face, already reeling and replaying that last fall in her head. Betsama came in for third, and Honsinger in fourth. Brand was a deserving World Champion, and surely she earned the right to don the Rainbow Jersey for this whole next year. But, surely also, our hearts go out to Annemarie Worst who overcame so many technical mistakes by having the strongest engine in the race. But surely, technical skills are part of what makes cyclocross cyclocross, and Annemarie of course knows this. It was a thrilling race, a perfect viewing spectacle from start to finish, and it perfectly highlights why we always tune back in for cyclocross.
Cycling Odysseys 