Christine Majerus won the women’s Elite race in Zonnebeke after an exciting battle with Denis Betsema. Because of the tight schedule and CX World Championships approaching, many of the top Elite riders – Ceylin Carmen del Alvarado, Annemarie Worst, and Lucinda Brand, to name a few – opted to skip Saturday’s UCI C2 race.
Ceylin Carmen del Alvarado claimed the 2020 Elite women’s World title after a thrilling battle with longtime rival, Annemarie Worst, in Dubendorf, Switzerland. From the first lap, the Dutchwomen were on the front foot, with Alvarado, Worst, Lucinda Brand, and Yara Kastelijn separating themselves from the rest of the field. Kastelijn was soon distanced, and Brand yo-yoed in and out of the front group all race.
Dutch women have dominated cyclocross the entire 2019/2020 cyclocross season. In fact, over the past few years, Belgian rider Sanne Cant (more on her in a minute) has been the only rider consistently challenging the Dutch for the top step of the podium.
Eli Iserbyt won a thrilling men’s Elite race in Nommay, France ahead of his Belgian compatriots, Toon Aerts and Laurens Sweeck. In the absence of Mathieu van der Poel – who usually puts on a one-man show – Iserbyt and Aerts put on a two-man show after riding clear of the field on just the second lap of the race.
