"My back was really bad last week so I started with doubts" - Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado rides to a modest second place at Nationals despite limited preparation

National Cyclocross Championships in Oisterwijk were a big party for Fenix-Deceuninck ladies who, in absence of Fem van Empel and Lucinda Brand - didn't find their equal among the rest of the field. Puck Pieterse will thus get to ride in red-white-blue in the coming period. For her teammate Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, it's only a second place. However that is a result that makes the 26-year-old somewhat happy too after a complicated period.

The race started off well for Alvarado, as she quickly created a gap with Pieterse. "But before the first hill, my handlebars turned, causing me to fall halfway and lose time. That was basically over immediately, which was a shame. After that, Puck kept pulling away, so she was definitely the strongest. I kept riding, but I did it at a slower pace," she told WielerFlits aterwards.

In the end, Alvarado finished more than a minute after Pieterse, but she is not unhappy about that. "I have had a tough week physically, I was not that fit. So I started with doubts. My back was really bad last week, which is why I have not been able to do much this week. In itself, my back held up reasonably well today, but it was not easy."

Christoph Roodhooft, the man behind Fenix-Deceuninck, also gave a word of explanation about Alvarado's physical problems. "It was a pretty extreme course today. Ceylin also came out of the Christmas period tired. She hasn't recovered enough since the last races, unlike Puck. Everything fell into place for her."