Ceylin Alvarado settles for second place behind flying Lucinda Brand: "This is the best that could have been done today"

Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado has consolidated her leading position in the cyclo-cross World Cup standings, but was unable to win the race in Dublin. She was beaten by her compatriot Lucinda Brand and concluded the Irish round in the second place.

"This is the best that could have been done today," she acknowledged in the flash interview. "On the one hand I am a bit disappointed, but also happy, because there were two strong riders behind me," she refers to Zoe Bäckstedt and Marie Schreiber, whom she managed to keep behind her.

What made the big difference on the tough and muddy course in Dublin? "My mistakes. I made too many. Lucinda went without and it made a big difference. This course also suited her very well, with many long straights and lots of wattages. She also really deserved it."

Halfway through the race, Alvarado caught her handlebars in a fence, causing her to come to a standstill and lose valuable seconds. "Every little mistake costs seconds and that was just a little too many. After that moment I continued to ride through the gates, but it remained difficult for me to accelerate."