"I expect to be at the top again next season" - Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado conquers Superprestige Cup and shines light on tough season

With the emergent trio of Dutch riders who have won almost all competitions this season in Cyclocross, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado - only 24 years of age - seemed to already be outdated in the field. However the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider kept her consistency, and with it has won the Superprestige Cup today following the win in Middelkerke.

"I did have the plan to get rid of them pretty quickly, but it happened a bit sooner than I expected," the Dutch rider said in a post-race interview. "It was a bit of the frustration of cycling out last week, when things weren't going so well. I did that today. Now it feels good again."

Alvarado rode to fifth at the World Championships, but has benefited from the absence of van Empel, Pieterse and van Anrooij today. It was a dominant win in fact, as she distanced Lucinda Brand, Annemarie Worst and others on the opening lap of the race to charge into an important win. Not only was it a strong win, but she defended herself against Inge van der Heijden to conquer the cup.

“It is very nice that I can go home with the overall victory today and also finish with a victory," she admitted. "I think my form just keeps going up and I'm fine again. I expect to be at the top again next season," Alvarado concluded. Sitting third in the X2O Trofee, she will still be fighting for the victory in that cup alongside Fem van Empel and Lucinda Brand.