Back problems steer World Cup leader Ceylin de Carmen Alvarado away from Zonhoven - "I could have taken a nice step towards the overall win"

Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado will skip the Cyclocross Zonhoven World Cup this Sunday. The World Cup leader was looking to cement her triumph, but back pain that emerged during the race in Gullegem on Saturday became a big issue.

“Today in Gullegem I suffered again from severe back pain. I could barely run in the mud and I couldn’t put any power on the pedals either," the Dutch rider admitted. She had a difficult start and was racing just outside the podium for a few laps, before abandoning the race as she was no longer in sight of the victory. However that was only one of her issues, the back pain was strong and it also left her with the complicated decision to miss the 12th round.

"Too bad, because in Zonhoven I could have taken a nice step towards the overall win in the World Cup. But an osteopath visit is more important now. It will take a few days to fully recover from this," she tells.

Alvarado will also miss the national championships next weekend, and return to racing possible in Benidorm on the 21st of January. Although she carries 75 points over second place Lucinda Brand in the competition, there are still 120 points up for grabs and her triumph is not yet certain with three races to go.