Results Krawatencross Lille | Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado converts long solo into overdue victory

Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado delivered a decisive performance at the Krawatencross in Lille, riding solo from the opening lap to secure her first victory since the Dutch national championships and finally turn a run of near-misses into a clear win.

Under bright conditions in the Lilse Bergen, Alvarado wasted no time asserting control. She attacked decisively in the opening lap and immediately forced separation from the rest of the field, opening a small but meaningful gap over newly crowned world champion Lucinda Brand. By the end of the first circuit, the race had already taken on a familiar shape, with Alvarado alone at the front and Brand forced into a measured chase.

Rather than easing, Alvarado settled into a relentless tempo. Her advantage continued to grow through the middle phase of the race, reaching fifteen seconds by the third lap and gradually extending further as the kilometres ticked by. It was a controlled display that contrasted sharply with recent outings, where the Dutch champion had repeatedly finished second despite being in contention.

Behind her, the fight for the remaining podium places became the race within the race. Brand initially found herself under pressure from European champion Inge van der Heijden, the pair trading accelerations as Brand attempted to consolidate second place. Van der Heijden briefly closed back in before the elastic finally snapped, leaving Brand clear but unable to make any inroads into Alvarado’s lead.

As the bell rang for the final lap, Alvarado held an advantage of more than twenty seconds, riding with enough composure to acknowledge the crowd before focusing on the final technical sections. Brand entered the last lap still firmly in second, while Van der Heijden began to fade slightly, her challenge for second giving way to a battle simply to hold onto the final podium position.

There was no late drama at the front. Alvarado maintained her rhythm all the way to the finish, crossing the line alone to seal a long-awaited victory. Brand followed in second place, with Van der Heijden completing the podium.

Behind the top three, Leonie Bentveld finished fourth ahead of Clara Schreiber, while Julie Brouwers emerged as the leading Belgian rider in sixth.

After weeks of finishing close but not quite close enough, Alvarado’s emphatic solo in Lille provided a timely reminder of her authority, bringing a convincing end to her sequence of runner-up finishes and confirming her status as one of the dominant figures of the winter.