Rochette has best Superprestige round of the season in Boom
Brand continues win streak to take over series lead
Maghalie Rochette raced her best round of the Superprestige series in Sunday’s fifth contest in Boom, Belgium, earning seventh place on a technical course with off-camber sections, cobbles and steep climbs. Lucinda Brand continued her win streak, taking over the series lead from world champion Ceylin Del Carmen Alvarado. Brand hasn’t finished lower than third in a cyclocross race this year, and she had won the last four races she started.
So far this season, four rounds had been raced in the Superprestige series, with Rochette 11th overall and Alvarado holding a single point over Brand after the two split the four races.
October 11 Gieten, the Netherlands
Elite women: Alvarado
October 24, Ruddervoorde, Belgium
Elite women: Alvarado, 8th Maghalie Rochette, 35th Ruby West
November 11, Niel-Jaamarktcross, Belgium
Elite women: Brand, 19th Rochette, 27th West
November 22, Merksplas, Belgium
Elite women: Brand, 11th Rochette, 21st West, 52nd Siobhan Kelly
Four Canadian women were in Boom: Rochette (Specialized-Feedback Sports), Ruby West (Proximus-Alphamotorhomes-Doltcini), Sidney McGill (Pedalhead Race Room) and Siobhan Kelly (Black Dog Racing).
Denise Betsema led the pack onto the cobbles of Lap 1. Brand joined her with Alvarado close behind. Rochette parlayed her Row 1 starting position to keep in the top-10. Betsema was able to ride the sand and was first to complete the 2.7-km lap, while Brand and Alvarado pushed.
Alvarado took advantage of a Brand error in a Lap 2 corner to gap her compatriots and completed the circuit 8 seconds ahead. Rochette was up to 8th.
Lap 3 saw Brand close in on Alvarado, but by the midway point of the race the world champion’s gap was still 6 seconds, with Betsema 19 seconds back. Rochette climbed a place to 7th.
Brand caught Alvarado on Lap 4‘s short, steep climb.
When the two leaders pitted on Lap 5, Brand’s mechanic got her cast-off bike tangled up with Alvarado’s new machine. Brand sportingly waited for her rival, but then forced a gap. When Brand heard the bell, she was 6 seconds ahead of Alvarado. Betsema wasn’t closing, but she wasn’t losing her podium either.
The status quo was kept on the bell lap, with the podium exactly the same as it was last Sunday in the first round of the World Cup.
Although Brand and Alvarado are tied on points in the overall competition, Brand leads the series. Rochette secured 10th overall.
The next round of Superprestige is next Sunday in Gavere.
2020-2021 Superprestige Series Round 4, Elite Women
1) Lucinda Brand (The Netherlands/Telenet Baloise Lions) 46:44
2) Ceylin Del Carmen Alvarado (The Netherlands/Alpecin-Fenix) +0:10
3) Denise Betsema (The Netherlands/Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) +0:45
7) Magahlie Rochette (Canada/Specialized Racing) +1:36
