Superprestige Heusden-Zolder: Fem van Empel wins thriller against Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado

Over the fast and rolling course of Heusden-Zolder, Jumbo-Visma's Fem van Empel and Alpecin-Deceuninck's Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado engaged in a tense battle that saw the momentum fall one way and another throughout the course of the race.

It was reigning world champion Van Empel who came out on top, dispatching Alvarado in a two-up sprint to decide the winner. This came, however, after a ding-dong battle between the pair that saw Van Empel suffer a nasty crash, which raised further concern over her right knee.

The Dutchwoman bravely returned to her bike and eventually overhauled Alvarado, but the latter certainly made her work for her 12th victory of the season. Alvarado was rewarded by moving within one point of Superprestige leader Annemarie Worst (Cyclocross Reds) in the overall standings, with only two races remaining to decide the winner.

Inge van der Heijden (Crelan-Corendon) produced a notable ride to comfortably take third place behind.

Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado and Fem van Empel gather at the front

Heusden-Zolder is a course that always provides a fast start and this race was no different, with SD Worx's Marie Schreiber the quickest from the gun, quickly flanked by the likes of Fem van Empel and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado.

It was the Luxembourger, however, who led the racer into the first sand section, before Cyclocross Reds' Aniek van Alphen and Van Empel traded blows for the first time at the front of the race.

Van Empel was looking to rebound from a disappointing performance on Tuesday, which saw her 11-race winning streak come to an end. The world champion had been rocked by a series of crashes - of her own making - but had spoken of a good night's sleep enjoyed ahead of the Superprestige on Wednesday.

Read more: Cyclo-cross World Cup: Powerful Puck Pieterse takes first win of the season in Gavere

Lauren Molengraaf (Tormens Cyclocross Team) had also enjoyed a strong start to the race and she was the first rider to bunnyhop the planks that fell midway through the first lap, rather than jump off the bike and run them. Annemarie Worst, meanwhile, was also well in the mix towards the front and hoping to extend her lead in the overall Superprestige standings.

At the end of the first lap, both Molengraaf and Worst were in strong positions, but so too were Kristýna Zemanová (Brilon Racing Team MB), Schreiber, and Van Alphen. All five riders, however, were left in the wake of Alvarado and Van Empel throughout the course of the second lap.

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Inge van der Heijden threatened to catch the leading duo at times during the race, but eventually came home third after an impressive ride

The leading pair entered the third lap of the race with an eight-second advantage over Inge van der Heijden (Crelan-Corendon), who had placed herself in podium contention with a blistering second lap time.

By this point, it had been deemed that the race would be six laps long and it was soon becoming apparent that Alvarado and Van Empel were closely matched over a course that regularly produces the fastest lap times of the season. Van der Heijden was never too far behind in their rearview mirror and she knew that even if she could not catch the front duo, her position on the podium would be consolidated.

Crash disrupts Van Empel's acceleration

The first cracks in Alvarado began to show towards the end of the third lap, with Van Empel deciding to up the pace and produce a slight gap to her rival behind. Alvarado was rocking and rolling through a series of technical climbs in the final part of the circuit, but Van Empel was the master of her own misfortune, crashing hard on a steep descent.

As Van Empel held her right knee in pain, Alvarado sensed her opportunity, successfully rounding the world champion and taking a six-second advantage into the fourth lap. Van der Heiden sat 12 seconds down on Van Empel, who had bravely returned to her steed and set off in pursuit of Alvarado.

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Fem van Empel initially cut a wounded figure after her crash, but she soon returned to her bike and made the catch of Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado

Van Empel had ridden superbly to open up a gap to Alvarado, but the crash swung the balance of the race back towards the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider and given the world champion an uphill task to return to winning ways after Tuesday's disappointment. The most positive news, of course, was that Van Empel seemed to have gathered herself after initially laying on the ground following her crash.

A brave fourth lap saw Van Empel bridge the gap to Alvarado as the race reached the half-hour mark, perhaps an indicator of which rider was going to be the strongest on the day. Amongst Van Empel's acceleration, tumble and recovery, the elastic had snapped to Van der Heijden in third place, who was no longer in eyeshot behind.

As the fourth lap came to an end, the resurgent Van Empel had turned the screw on the technical, muddy climbs, taking a three-second advantage over Alvarado into the fifth. Behind Van der Heijden, Zemanová, Sanne Cant (Crelan-Corendon) and Worst were together in a group, all working in unison to pull themselves back into podium contention.

The technical descents and sandy corners were offering Alvarado with some solace throughout the first knockings of the fifth lap, but it was on the hills that Van Empel's power shone bright. A three-second gap held true for much of the penultimate lap, as did the gap between Van der Heijden and the chasing trio behind.

Alvarado's stubborn ride delivers final-lap showdown

With the race nearing its final lap, it began to look as though only a mistake would alter the standings at the front. But Alvarado was not to be defeated and with Van Empel held up by lapped riders, the leading pair entered the sixth and final lap together. One final showdown was in order to decide the victory.

The first half of the lap saw Van Empel and Alvarado within touching distance of each other, and it was Alvarado who produced the first big attack, shortly after a small coming together over the planks gave an opening to Van der Heijden behind. Despite the Crelan-Corendon's battling performance, however, it was always going to be between Van Empel and Alvarado for the race win.

Alvarado was on the front for 3o seconds or so, but her momentum was halted completely by a tumble uphill. Luckily for the race leader, her fall also saw Van Empel brought to a standstill behind and it was back to square one for the duo - a sprint awaited.

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Van Empel was always confident of beating Alvarado in the sprint

Van Empel was happy to see Alvarado lead the sprint out, poised and ready behind, and so it proved. Van Empel opened her sprint first and her show of power saw Alvarado succumb to defeat as the world champion rounded her. It was a return to winning ways for Van Empel, as Alvarado was forced to settle for second and Van der Heijden rolled over the line 16 seconds behind.

Former two-time winner of this race, Cant, came home in fourth, with Zemanová in fifth and the last rider to be within a minute of the victor. Worst, meanwhile, positioned in sixth and Schreiber came in two minutes down in seventh.