"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
Cyclocross
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."
Results of the Women Elite National Cyclocross Championships of the Netherlands 2024/25:
| Position | Rider | Time |
| 01 | Pieterse Puck | 48:25 |
| 02 | Alvarado Ceylin del Carmen | + 11 |
| 03 | Betsema Denise | + 01:35 |
| 04 | Vos Marianne | + 01:50 |
| 05 | van Alphen Aniek | + 02:07 |
| 06 | Bentveld Leonie | + 02:09 |
| 07 | van der Heijden Inge | + 02:36 |
| 08 | Kastelijn Yara | + 02:36 |
| 09 | Hartog Larissa | + 05:01 |
| 10 | Molengraaf Lauren | + 05:51 |
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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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- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
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