“I can be happy with my comeback” – Former world champion marks long-awaited return with instant podium at World Cup Flamanville

Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado celebrated a long-awaited return to cyclocross with a podium finish at the Flamanville World Cup, marking her first race back after recovering from a knee injury. The former world champion started further down the grid, battled through the field, and secured third place behind winner Aniek van Alphen in what she called a performance she could “be very happy” with.

“I can be very happy with today,” Alvarado said immediately after the finish. “I started without expectations and tried to get the maximum out of it. That turned out to be third place, so I can be happy with my comeback.”

Alvarado missed the opening round in Tabor as she continued her careful rehab with Fenix-Deceuninck, only deciding to resume competition in France. Her start position meant she had to fight through traffic, and she admitted her first race back was anything but smooth.

“I did have some problems and it was a tough race, so today this third place was the maximum achievable,” she said. She briefly contested second place before fading behind Van Alphen and French rider Amandine Fouquenet in the closing laps. “Halfway through I already thought the win was impossible. I went for it, but I couldn’t go any faster than this.”

Technically, she felt strong on the more technical sections but acknowledged the power-heavy stretches exposed the limits of her current condition. “It was dying,” she joked. “It wasn’t easy, especially on the straight sections. I was at a bit of a disadvantage there. On the technical sections I could use my strengths, but then came a power section afterwards and that’s where I lost it today.”

Crucially for the former world champion, her knee held up well across the full race distance. “My knee felt good. Maybe I’ll feel something later, but that will all be fine,” she said, sounding relieved after several weeks of uncertainty.

Alvarado also paid tribute to Van Alphen, whose solo victory marked her first ever World Cup win. “She really deserved it. She’s riding well. This is the cherry on top for her and it will give her extra motivation.”

With her comeback immediately yielding a podium, Alvarado now re-enters the heart of the women’s field with renewed confidence — and with signs that more is still to come as her condition sharpens.