"I get a lot of hope from my faith - God will pull me through": Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado bounces back from injury nightmare to reclaim Dutch national title
Cyclocross
Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado did not treat her Dutch national championships title as a finish line. For her, the win in Huijbergen felt more like proof that a long, difficult road was finally pointing in the right direction.
After beating Puck Pieterse and Lucinda Brand to reclaim the Dutch cyclocross crown, Alvarado said the victory confirmed what she had already begun to feel in recent weeks. “Yes, the feeling was already coming back, but this is the confirmation,” she said in conversation with Wielerflits.
The rider from Fenix-Premier Tech had arrived at the championships with form improving but still uncertain. Knee problems delayed the start of her season, and illness then stalled it again. “I don’t yet feel that I am completely back at my peak, but it is going in the right direction. I think I am almost there,” she said.
Her winter had never followed the plan she wanted. “That lasted three weeks,” she added, referring to the illness that followed her knee issues.
Hope through setbacks
Despite those interruptions, Alvarado said she never stopped believing she would return to her top level. “In the end it is my job. And I just really love doing it. I always have hope that it will be good again,” she said.
She also spoke about the role her faith played during the harder moments of the season. “Of course I also get a lot of hope from my faith. That God will pull me through. That makes the red white blue even more beautiful.”
Her performance in Huijbergen showed how far she has already come. After riding away from Pieterse in the middle of the race, she finished solo to claim her second Dutch elite title, adding to the one she won in 2020.
Even with the national jersey secured, Alvarado is not treating the job as done. Her focus is now on squeezing out the last gains before the end of the season.
“The coming weeks will be hard training,” she laughed. “A few more percentages. More than that I cannot do.”
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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🏆 🇳🇱 Netherlands (CN) Women Elite: 🥇 🇳🇱 Ceylin Del Carmen Alvarado 🥈 🇳🇱 Puck Pieterse 🥉 🇳🇱 Lucinda Brand ➡ Results: cyclocross24.com/race/17996/
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