Extraordinary wins for both the Belgian and the Dutchwoman before 16.000 spectators in the third edition of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup – Benidorm Costa Blanca 2025.
No less than 16.000 spectators came to the parks of Foietes and El Moralet to enjoy a spectacular day of racing at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup – Benidorm Costa Blanca. Two names stood out to be crowned as king and queen of the Fiesta: Belgium’s Thibau Nys (Baloise Glowi Lions) and the Netherlands’ Fem Van Empel (Visma | Lease a Bike), winners of the exciting Men Elite and Women Elite races.
An European champion defeats the ‘man to beat’
Reigning champion Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) was the man to beat at the Men Elite race, yet he was to face two tough challengers in Michael Vanthourenthout (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) and Thibau Nys (Baloise Glowi Lions). Both of them did indeed take a toll on Van Aert’s second-row position at the start. The Visma star did never lead the race, as did local star Felipe Orts (Ridley Racing Team). We had to wait until the last lap to witness the race-defining move, as Nys took off in the Foiets climb and reached the finish line with enough time as to celebrate his victory over Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) and Lars Van der Haar (Baloise Glowi Lions), with Van Aert and Vanthourenhout coming home in 4th and 5th place.
“Finally, the pieces are falling together,” said Thibau Nys after his win. “I had the right legs at the right moment. Everything went down to plan. The pace was pretty high off the bat. That made it really hard for Wout to come to the front of the race, and we took advantage of it.” Van Aert shared a similar perspective: “It was a brutal race. I didn’t feel really fresh. I knew it was not going to be my day. On the final lap, Thibau was just stronger than me”.
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Local hero Felipe Orts finished the race in 6th position. “I’ve done the best possible race,” said the rider from La Vila Joiosa. “I’ve felt the support from all my people, from the whole Comunidad Valenciana region – even the Belgians were rooting for me today! I’m very happy because you can really feel the spectators in this event. Not just for me, but for every athlete. This will make Benidorm become one of the season’s major events.”
Three in a row for Van Empel
The winner of the first two editions of this UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup – Benidorm Costa Blanca, the Netherlands’ Fem Van Empel (Visma | Lease a Bike), put on a great show to sign her third victory in a row in the parks of Foietes and El Moralet. This time, the current World Champion had to beat fellow Dutch Lucinda Brand on the final straight. The Baloise Glowi Lions rider, though, has something to celebrate anyway as she keeps a sizable lead atop the standings of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup. Luxembourg’s Marie Schreiber (SD Worx-Protime) rounded out the podium.
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“It was as close as it was last year,” described Fem Van Empel. “I think I was always in control, as I was focused from the start on staying in the first two positions of the race.” The owner of the rainbow jersey had some complimentary words to say about Benidorm. “I’m always happy to race here. The crowds are amazing, with so many little kids. The course also makes for amazing races.” Lucinda Brand was also quite happy with her result. “It’s my first time on the podium here. It’s not always an easy course for me but I had a better feeling than other years so I’m satisfied!”
Del Grosso, Revol and Agostinacchio hit the bull’s eye
Third time lucky for Tibor del Grosso. The Dutchman had been 2nd and 4th in the previous two editions of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup – Benidorm Costa Blanca, and managed to finally raise his arms in victory, pretending to shoot an arrow as a proverbial archer. In order to finally hit the bull’s eye, the current U23 World Champion kept the race on a tight leash until launching the decisive mode in the final lap. Belgium’s Jente Michels and France’s Aubin Sparfel came home 2nd and 3rd. As for the overall classification of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, Del Grosso is in the lead with a remarkable margin on Michels with just one round left next weekend in Hoogerheide.
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As for the Junior races, both of them offered some tight, intense racing. Amongst the boys, European Champion Mattia Agostinacchio took the best of Soren Bruyère Joumard (France), Valentin Hofer (Austria) y Benjamín Noval (Spain). The Italian and the Frenchman are tied in the first two positions of the overall standings. Amongst the girls, it was France’s Lisa Révol to lead the race from start to finish, managing to keep a very small margin on Rafaelle Carrier (Canada) y Mae Cabaca (the Netherlands) all the way to finally land an extraordinary victory and get closer to Carrier atop the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup leaderboard.
