Manon Bakker struggled to replicate her success from Val di Sole last weekend. She found the routes in Namur and Herentals less to her taste, finishing far from podium on both occasions. However she still managed to pull herself together and spare few words of encouragement for an opponent that was down, she tells IDLProCycling.
Bakker wasn’t entirely satisfied with her performance in Namur, but it was her act of kindness that stood out. Seeing Zoe Backstedt, who finished 26th and seven minutes behind the winner Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, in tears, Bakker went over to to the young British rider to comfort her.
"Your time will definitely come," Bakker reassured a weeping Backstedt. "These courses are quite unique. When it’s more technical, you'll naturally be up there with the leaders." Backstedt noticeably perked up after receiving these words of encouragement, highlighting the camaraderie in the tight-knit world of cyclocross.
Interestingly, just the day before in Herentals, Bakker herself had finished somewhat disappointedly in sixth place. "I'm not sure what the issue was, but I had some trouble with acid reflux even during training. That certainly didn’t help," she commented. "And I really don’t get along with that Skiberg. There was more climbing involved than last year, and climbing just isn’t my strong suit."
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