Home > Cyclocross

Annemarie Worst best on Koksijde sand dunes, Brand keeps World Cup lead

Sidney McGill the lone Canadian in elite women's race

Annemarie Worst earned her first World Cup victory since January 2019 on Sunday, as the Dutch rider was the best on the sand dunes of Koksijde, Belgium in Round 7. Series leader Lucinda Brand came in third and clung to the top of the table. The top nine riders were Dutch.

Like Severine Bouchez in Saturday’s fourth round of the Superprestige series, Sidney McGill was the sole Canadian entrant in Sunday’s World Cup races. McGill finished 41st. Maghalie Rochette will be back next week in France.

You can watch the 2021-2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup at FloBikes.

The World Cup so far

October 10: Waterloo, Wis.: 1) Vos 2) Brand 3) Betsema 10) Rochette,
October 13: Fayetteville, Ark: 1) Brand 2) Betsema 3) Honsinger 7) Rochette
October 17: Iowa City, Iowa: 1) Vos 2) Betsema 3) Vas 22) Rochette
October 24: Zonhoven, Belgium: 1) Betsema 2) Brand 3) Alvarado
October 31: Overijse, Belgium 1): Vas 2) Pieterse 3) Brand
November 14, Tabor, Czech Republic: 1) Brand 3) Pieterse 3) Worst 10) Rochette

1) Brand 187 pts
2) Betsema 168 pts
3) Pieterse 142 pts
17) Rochette 55 pts

Fem van Empel seized the hole shot but Shinin van Anrooij led up the Lap 1‘s first sand dune carry. Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, the last winner in Koksijde in 2019, became van Anjooij’s closest pursuer. World champion Brand, who took the lead in the Superprestige series on Saturday with a win, was back in seventh. Worst and Puck Pieterse joined the other Dutch riders at the front. Seven were together after the first 3.32-km circuit.

Shirin van Anjooij leads through the sand on Lap 1.

The septet had a good gap over the eighth rider going into Lap 2. Brand went to the front, while Alvarado became to lose contact and had to pick up a new bike. Worst’s pressure thinned out the group a bit. Worst crossed the line just ahead of Denise Betsema with Brand 10 seconds behind. McGill was 37th.

Annemarie Worst leads the way on Lap 2.

Betsema and Worst continued to labour through the dunes ahead of Brand and van Anrooij on Lap 3. Brand began to pull clear of van Anrooij. Alvarado and van Empel still had podium aspirations midway through the five-lap race. Brand had 16 seconds to make up.

On the penultimate lap, Worst rid herself of Betsema in the middle dunes. Brand closed in on Betsema, her nearest competitor in the World Cup overall standings. When Worst heard the bell she was 12 seconds ahead of Betsema and 18 seconds ahead of Brand.

Worst goes clear of Betsema in the sand.

Worst grew her lead on the bell lap, finishing 17 seconds before sand beast Betsema.

The next round is next Sunday in Besançon, France.

2021-2022 UCI Cyclocross World Cup, Round Seven, Koksijde

1) Annemarie Worst (The Netherlands/777) 46:31
2) Denise Betsema (The Netherlands/Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) +0:17
3) Lucinda Brand (The Netherlands/Baloise Trek Lions) +0:37
41) Sidney McGill (Canada) +10:02