Annemarie Worst returns to winning ways on the sand dunes of Koksijde
Annemarie Worst returns to winning ways on the sand dunes of Koksijde
Annemarie Worst (777) takes a resurgent Cyclocross World Cup win on the infamous sand dunes of Koksijde, Belgium, her first victory of the season.
After the early selection saw seven riders take off from the pack, Worst pushed on early in the second lap, and after a steady start, Denise Betsema (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) moved up to catch her wheel. Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions) looked to be fighting with the terrain harder than some, but the world champion was in a solid third place by the end of the second lap.
With Betsema and Worst trading the lead of the race and Brand holding firm for third, Shirin van Anrooij (Baloise Trek Lions) was enjoying a fantastic ride on her way to fourth, while Ceylin Alvarado (Alpecin-Fenix) fought for fifth place after chasing back from an early pit stop.
Worst put in her race-winning move on the penultimate lap, dropping Betsema like a stone in the dunes, and taking a 12-second buffer through the bell. Worst looked lighter and faster than everyone else as she stretched her advantage through the final lap, and the Dutch rider celebrated a resurgent victory ahead of Betsema and Brand, who maintains her World Cup lead.
The Netherlands took the top nine spots at the end of the day, Clara Honsinger (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld) represented the US and the rest-of-the-world in tenth.
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