Manon Bakker settles for third place in the muddy Azencross: "I was definitely hoping for more"
Cyclocross
Manon Bakker was visibly disappointed after her third place in the Azencross in Loenhout. The 24-year-old Dutch woman was the top favorite at the start in Antwerp, but ultimately had to acknowledge her superiors in her teammate, the Belgian champion Sanne Cant and the Czech Kristyna Zemanova.
"I obviously expected more in advance," Bakker said in the flash interview. "I can't say I'm very satisfied with this and was definitely hoping for more."
"Usually I'm not great on the first of two cross days and that turned out to be the case again today. Cant had more power in the deep mud strips and I also think I was in the lead too much in the first two laps, because I thought I could go even faster, but in the end Sanne could go even faster."
"I mainly wanted to be at the front on the technical sections, but that didn't provide much advantage, because you had to walk more on those sections. At one point I dropped the pace and at that moment Sanne attacked and then it was already too late because I had to change. After that the gap was immediately there," she concludes.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
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