"To win here confirms that I still have it in me" - World Cup joy at last for Manon Bakker in Val di Sole

In and amongst the ice and snow of the treacherous Val di Sole course, Manon Bakker was in red-hot form, taking the first UCI World Cup win of her career.

“I thought about winning, but I had never done it before. To actually win, that's crazy," reflects the 24-year-old Dutchwoman in her post-race interview. “This is my favorite round, especially now. It was slippery and a lot of stretches on the power . That suited me very well. I had to stay calm and ride my own race. My coach told me to keep looking ahead. After a bad start, I wanted to calmly overtake the rest. 'Maybe I can still see the front,' I thought.”

Although it was Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado who led heading into the finale, Bakker never gave up and continued to battle hard, eventually overtaking her compatriot for the win. “As soon as you rush, you make mistakes that are not necessary. That was the goal,” said Bakker.

“It has been a year with ups and downs so far. To win here confirms that I still have it in me,” she concludes. "The fact that I am winning the World Cup here for the first time is really incredible. After coming third twice, I hoped to finish on the podium again. But to actually win, that's crazy.”