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Canadians conclude Christmas Cross program at DVV Trofee Baal GP Sven Nys

West and Leliveld top Canucks on New Year's Day

After six races over two weeks, Team Canada’s Christmas Cross program came to a close on New Year’s Day in Baal, Belgium with the sixth round of the DVV Trofee, the GP Sven Nys. Ruby West’s 22nd in the elite women’s contest and Matthew Leliveld’s 22nd in the Junior men’s race were the top Canadian performances.

Highlights of the six-race program were an eighth place for Ruby West in the Superprestige Azencross and two top-10s for Maghalie Rochette at the brutal Namur World Cup and the Superprestige race in Diegem.

On Monday, Michael van den Ham came 17th in the Cyclocross Bredene race, where compatriot Matis Boyer took 20th in the Junior men’s race. Siobhan Kelly was back in action but she did not finish.

The first Canadians in action on Wednesday were Junior men Matthew Leliveld (22nd), Cody Scott (24th) and Boyer (47th). In the U23 men’s race Malcolm Barton placed 48th, while Brody Sanderson did not finish.

In the elite women‘s race, series leader Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado was wearing her new kit; Corendon-Circus had become its latest incarnation, Alpecin-Fenix, overnight. She continued her fantastic 2019-2020 season with a natural hat trick of DVV Trofee wins. For the third time in six rounds, it was an all-Dutch podium, with Lucinda Brand recovering from her crash in Azencross to come runner-up and Annemarie Worst third. Dutch riders have won all six rounds.

Alvarado wins third consecutive DVV Trofee round in her new team colours.

2019-2020 DVV Trofee Baal GP Sven Nys Elite Women
1) Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (The Netherlands/Alpecin-Fenix) 45:19
2) Lucinda Brand (The Netherlands/Telenet Baloise Lions) +0:56
3) Annemarie Worst (The Netherlands/777) +1:04
22) Ruby West (Canada)
41) Siobhan Kelly (Canada)

Another Alpecin-Fenix rider, Mathieu van der Poel, had 4:30 to make up on Eli Iserbyt if he wished to take over the elite men‘s series lead. Van der Poel pulled clear on the third of eight laps. Iserbyt was one of the Dutchman’s closest pursuers.

British tyro Tom Pidcock, long Iserbyt’s Junior and U23 rival, not only caught air on the downhill whoops, but also caught up to the series leader on Lap 6.

However, Iserbyt dispatched Pidcock and only finished 23-seconds behind van der Poel to keep over four-minutes’ lead over the Dutchman in the series with two rounds left.

2019-2020 DVV Trofee Baal GP Sven Nys Elite Men
1) Matheiu van der Poel (The Netherlands/Alpecin-Feniz) 1:01:40
2) Eli Iserbyt (Belgium/Pauwels-Sauzen Bigoal) +0:23
3) Tom Pidcock (Great Britain/TP Racing) +0:40