The thrilling race on the snows of Trentino delivered two new names to the forefront of the UCI Cyclocross World Cup, confirming itself as a unique event in the global scene. Dutch double victory: Nieuwenhuis leads the race from the first turn, Bakker prevails in a comeback against Alvarado.
In the world of sports, there are some events that are quite unique compared to their counterparts, which, although belonging to the same discipline, differ profoundly in technical characteristics or environment. Consider the Monaco GP in Formula 1, or classic road cycling races like Paris-Roubaix or Strade Bianche: days when the rules of the game change, and where sports open up to different sets of values. Days when sports can still surprise and be surprised.
In three editions, Val di Sole has proven to be this for the world of cyclocross: a race that excites not only because of its unique setting, for having brought the best of this discipline to the alpine environment for the first time, but for its ability to pull surprises and unpredictable developments out of the hat. It was in Val di Sole that, in 2021, Fem Van Empel outsmarted Marianne Vos for her first victory (of many, by now) in the World Cup, and in 2022 Mathieu Van Der Poel could not deliver, as top favorite, on the snow of Vermiglio.
On Sunday, December 10th, 2023, Val di Sole lived up to this promise, delivering two new names to the list of athletes capable of winning a World Cup race. Two races, two winners, and two different stories. On one hand, the monologue of Joris Nieuwenhuis, the Dutchman who was also a road professional before dedicating himself 100% to cyclocross, capable of taming the snow and leading from the first to the last turn; on the other, Manon Bakker, who had only another World Cup podium finish to her name so far, in Vermiglio 2022, and now knows she has what it takes to compete with the strongest.
Freshly blanketed with five centimeters of snow from the night before the race, Vermiglio offered itself for the third time to the cyclocross public in all its charm, with its characteristic atmosphere and the passion of a land fully in love with cycling, and already counting the days that separate it from the next edition of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, scheduled from June 13th to 16th, 2024 in Daolasa di Commezzadura.
NIEUWENHUIS UNLEASHES A MASTERPIECE IN VAL DI SOLE
With a name and appearance that could have placed him among the Dutch painters of the Golden Age, with his long dark beard, Joris Nieuwenhuis indeed created his masterpiece on two wheels. On Sunday, December 10, in Vermiglio, on the World Cup Cyclocross track in Val di Sole, he painted his first career victory in the major series.
For the 27-year-old Baloise Trek Lions rider, today’s palette held only the white of Vermiglio’s snow, still fresh but decidedly faster and more compact after the women’s race. His greatest achievement was maintaining unwavering focus, riding a nearly impeccable race from start to finish of the seven laps on the 2.9 km track. His strokes were firm and decisive, softer and more delicate only where the track was most treacherous.
Nieuwenhuis wasted no time: he slipped ahead at the first turn and from there, no one could dislodge him, initially followed closely by Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Deceuninck), especially in the first lap, and then in an unstoppable solo performance until the apotheosis in front of the Vermiglio crowd.
“I know my style on the bike looks like I’m always pedaling effortlessly, but I assure you it was not like that today. The hardest thing was to keep my concentration high from the beginning to the end; I knew I had the chance to aim high, I had a great feeling on the bike and that was very important today. I used to race in BMX as a boy, I think that experience gave me something extra to tackle a track like this.”
“In the past years,” Nieuwenhuis continued, “I wasn’t able to include this event in my calendar, but I was thrilled by watching it on television: it’s a race that can completely upset the predictions, where you need to be both technical and powerful. I believe this challenge is perfect for my characteristics, and I hope to return next year to compete with all the biggest names in cyclocross, because this event truly deserves it.”
Vandeputte confirmed his second place from 2022, finishing 1:01 behind the winner. The third spot went to surprising Joran Wyseure, a Belgian born in 2001 from Crelan-Corendon, who showed all his enthusiasm to the Vermiglio audience for a career-best of great value.
Just off the podium were two of the most anticipated protagonists. Fourth place went to Michael Vanthourenhout, the 2022 winner, who got caught in the pack in the first, chaotic stages of the race, but admitted at the end, “today I didn’t have the legs to win, fourth place is the best I could aim for.” Right behind him was Eli Iserbyt, who confirmed his lead in the World Cup standings, followed by another Belgian, Laurens Sweeck. The best of the Italians was Federico Ceolin in eighteenth place.
MANON BAKKER CROWNED SNOW QUEEN IN VAL DI SOLE
Over the years, the snow in Vermiglio has proved to be a strict judge for all athletes, even the stars of the world cyclocross, capable of overturning predictions and telling beautiful tales. On Sunday, December 10th, the image of the women’s race was that of Manon Bakker’s (Crelan-Corendon) incredulous smile on the finish straight, when she realized that the same Val di Sole which had given her the first World Cup cyclocross podium a year ago, was about to celebrate her first major circuit victory.
As always, the Vermiglio race was exciting and unpredictable: compared to the eve’s training, the five centimeters of snow that fell overnight made the course heavier and more slippery in places, with numerous overtakes and slides in the early stages reflecting a necessary phase of adaptation.
Following Ceylin Del Carmen Alvarado’s (Alpecin-Deceuninck) fall on the second turn, it was local athlete Sara Casasola (FAS Airport Services-Guerciotti) who initially took the lead, then yielded to the surprising Czech Kristyna Zemanova (Brilon Racing Team), born in 2003, perhaps the quickest to adapt to the heavy, powdery terrain.
In the second half of the first lap, however, Del Carmen Alvarado found her rhythm and demonstrated her great condition, regaining the lead and crossing the finish line after the first lap with the Czech rider in close pursuit. After a bad start, Manon Bakker was chasing 13 seconds behind, while the 2022 winner, Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck), was chasing at 24 seconds together with Sara Casasola.
In the second lap, Del Carmen Alvarado insisted on her pace, gaining increasing confidence with the terrain, especially on the more flowing sections, but a mistake on the bridge allowed both Zemanova and Bakker to catch up to her. Puck Pieterse was trying to close in from behind, followed by the Canadian Sidney McGill, while Sara Casasola was approached by fellow Italians Valentina Corvi and Francesca Baroni.
When, in the third lap, Del Carmen Alvarado put in a new acceleration, it seemed for a moment that the race had found its path. However, the many mistakes by the World Cup leader allowed Bakker to catch up and follow in her wake just before the penultimate passage over the finish line.
In the last lap, Bakker took over the lead and never relinquished it: in the second half of the lap, Del Carmen Alvarado succumbed to fatigue, leaving room for her compatriot’s celebration at the finish line in Vermiglio. The first two were separated by 23 seconds at the finish, while Pieterse, 1:35 behind, completed an all-Oranje podium.
“I’m officially in love with these places, and with this course,” said the winner at the end of the race. “Today, it was all about staying calm, and I managed to despite a bad start. I’m a very technical athlete, I like courses where you need to steer and express power: I wish there were more races like this. This victory means a lot to me: in my career, I’ve had many ups and downs, this race proves that I have what it takes to be at the front.”
Czech Zemanova finished an impressive fourth, with Canadian McGill in fifth. Excellent results for the Italians Corvi and Baroni, both achieving the best placement of their careers with sixth and seventh place.
EVENT’S REACTIONS AND WRAP-UP
The winner of the men’s race was awarded by Francesca Gerosa, Vice-President and Councilor for Sports of the Autonomous Province of Trento, “With its spectacular setting, Val di Sole offered the perfect opener for a long season of winter sports events in Trentino. The Cyclocross World Cup is an international showcase for this area, whose incredible expertise in international events is widely recognized and appreciated worldwide.”
“The spectacle of Val di Sole confirms the validity of this format: we hope that snow cyclocross will expand further, to push cyclocross towards the Winter Olympics,” stated Cordiano Dagnoni, President of the Italian Cycling Federation. “The Italian cyclocross movement is growing well, in the wake of the many champions who promote the path of multidiscipline. We focus on the future, but the present is already interesting, as confirmed by the result of eighteen-year-old Valentina Corvi.”
Fabio Sacco, Director of APT Val di Sole and Grandi Eventi Val di Sole, made his final assessment on the event: “In addition to being something unique in the Cyclocross World Cup, for us this event acts like a fil rouge between the summer and winter seasons, in a land to be lived on bikes 365 days a year. We are satisfied with this outcome, and look forward to having both the Cyclocross and the Mountain Bike World Cup back to our land for the fourth straight year in 2024. We are proud of the feedback on our organization that we have received from Flanders Classics. This time, some of the most notable names of the sport were missing due to calendar reasons or different commitments: the goal for next year will be to have them with us again, and we are confident that the concerted work with UCI and Flanders Classics will bring the hoped-for results.”
Vermiglio (Italy), December 10, 2023
