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Flandriencross podium history | 2022 edition (2023 edition not covered) | Course map

Results: Men | Women

Weather in the race city of Hamme at 2:10 PM, local time: 10C (49F), mostly cloudy, with the wind from the west at 23 km/hr (13 mph). There is a 6% chance of rain.

Men:

Niels Vandeputte savors his victory.

Plato's dialogue Apology is available in both Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

The race: Here's a machine-translation of the organizer's race report.

Niels Vandeputte has won the Rectavit Flandriencross in Hamme. Vandeputte, who often just misses out on victory, managed to hold off Eli Iserbyt in a nerve-racking final lap. The strong Spaniard Felipe Orts was allowed to join the podium again, this time in third place. Thibau Nys crashed.

What had been in the air for quite some time became reality in Hamme. Niels Vandeputte was able to book his first victory of the season in a classification cross. The strong Alpecin-Deceuninck rider was constantly at the front in the fast cross in Hamme. When Thibau Nys started his aggressive style again and launched his attacks in the middle of the race, Vandeputte – together with Orts and Vanthourenhout – was always close by to respond.

Even when Eli Iserbyt, after moments of bad luck, suddenly seemed to get going again and put everyone under pressure in the penultimate lap, Vandeputte followed him cleverly and effortlessly. He proved his class with sharp technical passages and powerful mud passages. He reaped the rewards of this in the final lap.

While the other riders were slowly coming to the end of their strength, Vandeputte made a final feat of strength in the last kilometre. He put both Nys and Iserbyt under pressure and stormed to victory. Iserbyt finished second, but Nys fell hard in the last metres and eventually finished fourteenth. Orts took over third place.

Lars Van der Haar was able to retain his leading position in the X2O Badkamers Trophy by two seconds.

Niels Vandeputte was very happy with this victory: “This victory feels great. After yesterday I still had feelings of revenge. Today I wanted to show how good my form is. To finish it off in such a way, in a duel with Eli (Iserbyt, ed.), feels great. I had taken a bit of a lead at the beginning of the race, but I know that I have a good final lap in my legs. I also made a mistake along the way, which meant that I had to gradually make up for my position. The fact that I was eventually able to start the last lap in second place was perfect for putting in my acceleration. I feel that I have grown year by year. I had a very good summer, which gave me a lot of confidence. I am now showing that I have become stronger. I am happy that this now brings with it a victory. Hopefully I can continue in this line.”

Complete results:

Women:

Ceylin Alvarado is first across the line.

Plato's dialogue Crito is available both in audiobook and Kindle eBook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

The race: Here is a machine-translation of the organizer's report.

Dutchwoman Ceylin Alvarado won the Soudal Ladies Trophy in Hamme after an exciting battle against Lucinda Brand, Sara Casasola and Zoë Backstedt. The latter just came up short to fight to the finish, but Dutch champion Brand, Italian champion Casasola and Ceylin Alvarado made it exciting until the finish.

British racer Zoë Backstedt conquered the hole shot in the Rectavit Frandriencross for women. She did not hesitate and immediately went hard, which resulted in a firm lead after the first lap. Only Lucinda Brand, Sara Casasola and Ceylin Alvarado were able to close the gap. The four of them raced around the lakes in Hamme. The Englishwoman had to let her competitors go around halfcross and they made it an extremely exciting final.

Italian Sara Casasola made an impression and put the two Dutch top athletes under pressure. In the last lap the roles were reversed. Ceylin Alvarado gave it her all in the last round. Her compatriot Brand gave her some space by changing in the last lap, but got onto her wheel. With a scorching sprint, Alvarado gave Brand no chance and took the hard-fought victory at the Mirabrug in Hamme. Casasola was allowed to join the podium in third place after a great cross, Backstedt finished fourth.

“How low did I go? To hell and beyond,” Alvarado said with a laugh. “I suffered and certainly did not have the impression that I was the better rider. On the contrary, I had to keep chasing and closing gaps. But I never gave up and in the end I did not expect the last lap to go like this. They shouted to me that Lucinda had changed, which may not have been her best move. I kept riding so that she had to come out of her pipe. I went through the acidification, but I succeeded.”

Complete results:

Course map: