Cyclo-cross roundup: Yzerbito and Nash maintain World Cup lead despite poor showing in Koksijde

Cyclo-cross
Cyclo-cross roundup: Yzerbito and Nash maintain World Cup lead despite poor showing in Koksijde

Mathieu van der Poel won the men's race and 21-year-old Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado took her first Elite Women's World Cup victory in the fifth round of the UCI Cyclocross World Cup in Coxeide, Belgium, on Sunday.

Van der Poel extended her cyclocross win streak to an astounding 33 with a 25-second lead over Laurens Sweeck of Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal and 35 seconds over Belgian champion Toon Aerts of Telenet Baloise Lions He now has an astounding 33 cyclo-cross victories.

Van der Pol had also won the Ambiance Cross in Wachtebeke, Belgium, the day before, and finished ninth and fifth, respectively, in the Coxaide World Cup the next day, with Tim Mellier (Clairfin Fristads) and Quentin Hellmans ( Telenet Baloise Lions).

Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen Bingor) continues to lead the men's World Cup, although he was a little off form for the Belgian, finishing 13th in the Koksijde World Cup on Sunday. With Aerts in third place, the overall point lead with four rounds remaining has been reduced to just 18 points.

Seirin del Carmen Alvarado's win in Coxaide was not unexpected, but the Dutch rider proved to be the overall winner and a true contender for the World Championships in February. Alvarado, the current under-23 European champion, beat Lucinda Brand (Telenet Baloise Lions) by just six seconds on Sunday.

Like Yzerbito in the men's race, Luna's Katerina Nash, the overall World Cup leader, was far behind in 14th place. Britain's Anna Kay (Experza Pro CX) finished 12th, but moved up from 4th to 2nd overall and trails Nash by 40 points.

Meanwhile, Alvarado moved up to fourth in the overall standings after missing the opening and second rounds of the World Cup and finishing as runner-up twice in the previous competition. He is 48 points behind Nash's lead and only 8 points behind 20-year-old Kay.

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