Second place was the best
Annemarie Worst could manage at
Superprestige Ruddervoorde. 27-year-old Dutchwoman kept pace with
Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado for a while, but a mistake put an unassailable distance between them.
“I would of course have liked to win, but it went a bit better today,” the Cyclocross Reds rider recapped in her post-race interview. “It was a very tough race, I expected that a bit. You have to be good at the start, because after that it starts to fall apart a bit. That was the case today too. But it's just a tough round.”
As mentioned, Worst was able to stay in contention at the front for a while but in the second third of the race, Alvarado began to press an advantage. “At one point I made a mistake and she pulled away a bit. The hole remained the same size for a long time, but I was unable to close it again. That was a shame. When I knew it was over? With two laps to go, I just couldn't close the gap. Luckily I was able to keep the gap the same, but I just couldn't get any closer.”
“You couldn't really get a rhythm. It was off the bike, on again, off again. And it just didn't work with the mud. It was a very tough round," she concludes. "It's always nice when you have had a good race. That always gives a bit of confidence."