Lauren Molengraaf: "Last year I finished 12th. This year everyone seemed to assume I would win"

Lauren Molengraaf became the new Women's Juniors Cyclo-cross European Champion. This is her third victory of the season.

"I had a lot of stress before the start, and I noticed that. I really didn't get away well," she told WielerFlits. After a poor start in the first round, the Dutchwoman needed to close the gap to the front. "I was busy with everything but the race. But when I came back, it did go again, and I came through. Fortunately, it's a fair course on which you can recover," she said.

She was one of the favorites today, but being a favorite and expecting victory was challenging for her. "Last year I finished 12th. This year everyone seemed to assume I would win for a while. That was kind of new for me. I tried to put the race into perspective as much as possible against the stress, but that's easier said than done."

She used pressure to her advantage. "On the technical sections, I made the difference. I knew that if I rode in the lead there, a switch would flip, and I wouldn't give it away. It looked like a mountain bike course at times. It was also very slippery, so that worked in my favour," concluded the Dutchwoman.