Decapitated: Van Embel, Brandt, and the Bad, On the Way to America, Belgians reign among men

Now that the first cyclocross races of the season are over, the first U.S. Cyclo-cross World Cups (October 9 in Waterloo and October 16 in Fayetteville) Which riders have already managed to win, how did the Dutch do it and for whom it is still looking for a good feeling on the field?

Men: Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal kept at home, van der Haar steady

Winners:
Despite the fact that the cyclo-cross season has only just begun, many races have already been raced. However, if we ignore for a moment the ‘B-races’ in the USA, Spain and the Czech Republic, we come to three cyclocross races that give an idea of ​​the value ratios between the toppers: Krupike, Beringen and Muehlbach.

Rat isorbit He managed to win at Beringen, and it was his teammate at Grueback and Muleback Michael Vandoorenhout He threw his hands in the air. Notable: When Vanthorenhout won, Iserbyt was second, and vice versa. This is testament to the total dominance of Pavels Sassen-Bingol, Jürgen Mettepenningen’s team. So the two Belgians travel to America with a suitcase full of confidence.

The Dutch:
In the absence of four-time cyclocross world champion Mathieu van der Boel, we see four Dutchmen regularly appearing in the top ten of the most important crosses: Lars van der Haar, Pim Rönhaar, Ryan Kamp and Carne van Kessel. By far the best Dutchman van der Haar. With a fourth place in Kruibeke and two third places in Beringen and Meulebeke, the European champion missed the start of the cyclocross season. Especially in Meulebeke, van der Haar made a strong impression after a poor start, which will undoubtedly give him confidence for the trip to America.

Further Ronhar Talk about a solid start to the season. In Mechelen The Dutchman took immediate victory in his first cyclo-cross of the season, although it has to be said that the opposition there was not great. With a fourth place on the cross at Beringen (behind Iserbeit, Vandoorenhout and van der Haar), the man from Hellendoorn proved that he is the closest to the toppers. Especially if the courses are very difficult Stumbling through the mud, we expect the occasional Rönhaar platform, and even a cross-category win.

And more, more Camp And Van Kessel Their cyclocross season has begun. Camp has had a fairly consistent start to the season, finishing ninth, eighth and sixth. He couldn’t go any further: in Grueback and Beringen he was more than two minutes from the winner, his deficit in Muleback was 1.10 minutes. Van Kessel had a difficult season opener with a fourteenth place finish at Beringen, but showed he belongs at the sub-top of the field with a fifth place finish at Muleback. Unfortunately, his collarbone broke during a workout.

Women: Brand vs. Van Embel and Strong Sausage in America

Winners:
The story is the same for women as for men: in three crosses where the field of participants was strong, we saw two winners: Fem von Mbel And Lucinda Brandt. Van Empel beat Brand in the sprint-a-deux in Beringen, watching from the front row as Denis Betsema beat European champion Van Empel to the finish line in Muleback. The latter also won the season opener at Crewback in Brandt’s absence. Both are undeniably the ladies of the season. Betsema Third in all three Belgian crosses. It usually grows seasonally.

(Other) Dutch:
Who are we missing from the cyclocross results in Beringen and Muleback? Annemarie Worst. The reason? The Dutchman has been in America since the end of September, where he has already completed four cyclocross races and managed to win several times. The field of participants consists mainly of unknown American cyclists. His biggest competitor there is 35-year-old Caroline Money. So we can’t glean much from his performance on the other side of the ocean, only during the World Cups in Waterloo and Fayetteville to see where he stands against the competition.

That is also the case Celine del Carmen Alvarado, the fifth and last Dutch trump, should be considered capable of dominating this season. However, Alvarado is on the way back from two tough years. He was sidelined by a virus and broke his wrist at the World Cup last winter. After an operation and several matches on the road, she still couldn’t compete with Brandt and Van Embel. He hopes to close that gap, he says in a detailed interview In the captain’s jersey.