Van Aert and Van Empel triumph under the sun

More than 16.000 spectators attended the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup – Benidorm Costa Blanca 2024.

After its memorable first edition in 2023, the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup – Benidorm Costa Blanca put on an outstanding show this Sunday, 21st of January. More than 16.000 fans gathered in the El Moralet and Foietes Park to enjoy of one of the biggest spectacles cycling has to offer with races won by Wout van Aert and Fem van Empel under the Mediterranean sun. The Belgian allrounder finally defeated his nemesis, Mathieu Van der Poel, who couldn’t fight for his second victory in a row in the Spanish venue, something his compatriot Van Empel could achieve, once again, in front of Puck Pieterse.

The Men's Elite event of the UCI Cyclocross World Cup – Benidorm Costa Blanca 2024 provided one of the most exciting races of the winter season. The current world champion, top favorite after winning all the races he had competed so far in the season, Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), suffered a mechanical problem in the first of the nine laps. The Dutchman's thrilling comeback culminated midway through the fourth lap with an overtake of Belgium’s Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike), who was leading the race.

The two-man fight became a four-way battle in the fifth round, when the Brit Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) and the Belgian Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) invited themselves to the party… and in a nine-way war in the eighth lap, when Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal), Thibau Nys (Baloise-Trek), Toon Vandebosch (Crelan-Corendon), Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and the Spanish champion and local hero Felipe Orts (La Vila Joiosa-Néteo) reached the head of the race.

After passing through the sandpit, a crash forced Van der Poel into a new exhibition that he could not conclude, forced to settle with fifth place. Van Aert and Vanthourenhout immediately stood out, with the Visma rider taking advantage of his physical superiority over the European champion. Nys completed the podium ahead of Iserbyt, who took a giant step towards winning the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup.

Fem van Empel (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) challenged each other for the umpteenth time this season in the women's race. They were close from the first lap, in a battle which only Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Alpecin-Deceuninck) managed to join.

The situation remained unchanged until the last lap, when Alvarado tried to attack on the long climb and was countered by Pieterse who was trying at all costs to distance Van Empel. However, the Visma cyclist managed to withstand her attack and prevail, taking risks in the last meters, celebrating in disbelief the renewal of her victory last year in this very same venue. Alvarado completed the podium and thereby managed to secure the overall victory of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup.

Belgium's Emiel Verstrynge won the men’s U23 race and stood on top of the podium joined by Jente Michels y Aaron Dockx. In the second race of the day, the women’s Junior event, Célia Gery won in front of Viktória Chladonová and Cat Ferguson, who lost the World Cup leadership to the frenchwoman. As for the men's Junior race, France's Aubin Sparfel took both the win and the leadership in the World Cup.