Essen provided the dose of racing in the Benelux this weekend in cyclocross and the women's race saw a fierce battle between
Marion Norbert Riberolle and
Aniek van Alphen. The Belgian managed to take a nowadays rare win for the nation in the women's field.
"It was very difficult today and Aniek [van Alphen] was not easy to beat. For a long time I thought: who is going to win here? At some point I saw my moment and tried it," Riberolle said in a post-race interview. “It wasn't as tough in the reconnaissance as in the race. It was very difficult today. I didn't want to sprint here and thought it was better to get a lead first."