Superprestige Niel: Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado wins for her second consecutive year

Dutch rider Ceylin del Carmen Alverado (Alpecin-Deceunick) took first place in the third round of the Telenet Superpresige in Niel.

On a wet, muddy course, the Dutch rider took the lead during the first lap and held off the competition to finish comfortably ahead of the field.

Behind her, a fierce battle for the podium raged throughout the race, but in the end it was Aniek van Alphen (Netherlands) and Annemarie Worst (Netherlands) in second and third respectively, making it an all-Dutch podium.

It was a familiar sight to see Marie Schreiber (SD Worx) set the pace once the first lap, but it wasn't long before riders started slipping past. Firstly, the eventual winner Alvarado, who rode on while Schreiber pulled in for a bike change. Schreiber continued to cede places, then was set back considerably by a dramatic over-the-bars crash. Ultimately, Schreiber came into the finish in 7th place.

Now at the front of the field, Alvarado was able to ride methodically, choosing the fastest line to keep momentum through the course, and gaining more and more time on the rest of the field.

By the time she crossed the line and began her final lap, Alvarado was already lapping the slowest in the field, and well clear of second place. Tackling the muddy course for the final time, she sat up a little, even cracking a smile, realising that the day was hers.

Behind, Annemarie Worst was doing her best to cling to second place, with Aniek van Alphen, Manon Bakker and Sanne Cant snapping at her heels. In the final lap, Van Alphen found a way past, and managed to put 17 seconds into her compatriot to take a convincing second-place finish.

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