# Cyclocross World Cup 2021-2022 [may contain spoilers]



## Asa Post (10 Oct 2021)

It started today with races in Waterloo, Wisconsin.
The men's race was made interesting by changing weather conditions, but was something of a procession by the end.
The women's race will, I think, be remembered as one the of best races in a long, long time. I certainly can't recall a better one. No spoilers from me. Find the race on GCN or Eurosport and watch all of it, because highlights won't do it justice.


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## Asa Post (13 Oct 2021)

Round 2 today in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
It was siling down at the start of the women's race, but the course coped well and there was no deep mud. Dominant performances by the women's and the men's winners.
One unusual feature - the women's race seemed to be a lap too long, with the winning time at 51'46" and the men's a lap too short at 54' 55"


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## Asa Post (23 Oct 2021)

Here I am again, apparently talking to myself 

Round 3 at Iowa City on the 17th.
Fine and warm, and the men's race was close until the 8th lap (of 10) when a small group was gradually whittled down to two, and then the winner established a 10-second lead which he held comfortably to the end.
The women's race followed a similar pattern, with three riders away. On the 6th lap (of 8) one of them made a mistake, and never managed to get back to the others. The winner made a big attack on a steep climb on the last lap, and won by 10 seconds.


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## Asa Post (24 Oct 2021)

Round 4 today - a dry, sunny day on the sand dunes of Zonhoven. 
As nobody else is contributing to the thread, I may as well put a few spoilers in.
The women's race was won by Denise Betsema, who rode away from Puck Pieterse to take a comfortable win. Pieterse tired in the last two laps, and was passed by Lucinda Brand and Ceylin Alvarado who completed the podium.
Dutch women took the first seven places, and it was a good day for the under 23s - apart from Pieterse's 4th place, Fem van Empel was 5th, Shirin van Anrooij 6th and Line Burquier (France) 8th.
The best British finisher was Zoe Backstedt in 20th. The other Brits were all lapped, with Millie Couzens in 29th, Amira Mellor in 35th and Xan Crees in 44th.

The men's race was closer. A small group soon formed, with various riders getting leads of a few seconds which were pulled back. On the penultimate lap, Toon Aerts got the front and managed to ride the whole of a steep, sandy climb. Eli Iserbyt, leading the chase group, had to dismount and run, which slowed everyone else down as well. Aerts stretched his lead and couldn't be caught. Lars van der Haar won race for second and Iserbyt took third.


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## BrumJim (26 Oct 2021)

Sorry - a bit parochial here. Will take an interest when Tom Pidcock starts racing again.


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## Asa Post (31 Oct 2021)

Round 5 in Overijse, on a tricky course made more difficult by recent rain. Lots of slips and slides and I would think every rider had problems at some point.

In the women's race (5 laps) three riders soon established a gap. Denise Betsema made her usual first lap charge, but was closely followed by Blanka Vas and Puck Pieterse. Betsema failed to get the gap she was trying for, and seemed to lose heart. Some small errors let Vas and Pieterse get away, and they fought it out for the rest of the race. Pieterse was maybe not quite as strong, and Vas got a small lead which she slowly increased to take her first ever World Cup win. Pieterse was comfortable in second, and a typical last lap charge by Lucinda Brand saw her pass Betsema. They sprinted for third, and Brand won by a length.
British results: Zoe Backstedt 26th, Amira Mellor 29th, Millie Couzens 32nd, Xan Crees 38th, Josie Nelson 42nd (3+ laps), Abbie Manley 49th (3+ laps), Niamh Murphy 52nd (2+ laps).

It started raining again for the men's race (7 laps), just to make things even more difficult. It resolved into a group of four at the front, with Quentin Hermans looking like the fastest man. But, as has happened a few times this season, he crashed and put himself out of contention. That left Toon Aerts, Eli Iserbyt and Michael Vanthourenhout on their own, with Laurens Sweeck joining them briefly but unable to maintain the pace. On the last lap Iserbyt got to the front, and Vanthourenhout took a few risks to force himself past Aerts into second. That allowed Vanthourenhout to ease slightly and let Iserbyt (they ride for the same team) pull away for the win. Aerts decided he couldn't respond and settled for third.

British results: Cameron Mason 9th (fantastic result), Rory McGuire 31st, Corran Carrick-Anderson 32nd, Joseph Blackmore 36th, Thomas Mein 37th, Daniel Barnes 39th (5+ laps), Ben Chilton 43rd (5+ laps), Lewis Askey 44th (4+ laps).


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## Chislenko (31 Oct 2021)

Asa. Just so as you are not talking to yourself I watched both races today and thoroughly enjoyed them.

In both sexes though there does appear to be quite a gulf between the top three and the rest.


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## Asa Post (14 Nov 2021)

Round 6 in Tabor, Czech Republic.
The women had a close race on a dry track - I didn't see any bike changes at all. A group of nine established a lead, and was only slowly whittled down. On every lap Puck Pieterse was jumping the barriers when everyone else was running them, so she built a few seconds lead but was always brought back. At the start of the final lap (of six) there were still seven riders together. Lucinda Brandt attacked, and Blanka Vas and Shirin van Anrooij fell away. Brandt kept her advantage, and even though Pieterse gained some time at the barriers she couldn't make contact with Brandt and was absorbed by the other chasers. 
Brandt won by 3 seconds, and a close three-way sprint for second place was won by Pieterse, with Annemarie Worst in third.
British result: Millie Couzens 24th. [Zoe Backstedt chose to ride, and win, the Junior Race].

The men's race followed a similar pattern. A group got away, and despite attacks by various riders stayed together until near the end of the 5th lap (of 8), by which time the group had reduced to five. Then Eli Iserbyt attacked, and only Lars van der Haar could go after him. Van der Haar caught up, and continued to attack. Toon Aerts and Michael Vanthourenhout dropped away, leaving van der Haar, Iserbyt and Quenten Hermans to fight for the win. Hermans was a couple of seconds off the back, and despite threatening to catch up several times could never get there. Van der Haar slowly increased his lead and won by 11 seconds, with Iserbyt second and Hermans third.
No British riders today.


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## Asa Post (21 Nov 2021)

Round 7 on the sandhills of Koksijde.
The women's race saw a group of seven soon establish a lead. By the end of the third lap (of 5), Annemarie Worst and Denise Betsema had a lead of 16 seconds over Lucinda Brand, with the rest of the field riding solo with no groups fighting for places. On lap 4 Worst speeded up very slightly and Betsema slowed down, so by the end of the lap Worst had a comfortable lead and Brand was threatening to catch Betsema for second place. It didn't happen. The final lap saw Worst increase her lead, Betsema held on for second and Brand took third. This course really spaced out the field, with 8th place Inge van der Heijden over two minutes behind the winner and more big gaps behind her.
British results: Anna Kay 21st, Zoe Backstedt 22nd, Josie Nelson 42nd, Xan Crees 46th (lapped), Millie Couzens DNF.

There were rain showers for the men's race, which made the non-sand sections greasy and caused a few early crashes. Although a group established a small lead, nobody could get away and it wasn't until the 6th lap (of 7) that Eli Iserbyt managed to ride a sand climb that all the others had to run, and got a gap that he increased to 8 seconds at the end of the lap. He couldn't extend the lead any further, but the chasers couldn't close it. Toon Aerts slipped while running up a hill, and was passed by Laurens Sweeck who held on for second place, with Aerts third and Quentin Hermans a few second back in fourth.
British results: Cameron Mason 16th, Joe Blackmore 30th (lapped), Ben Chilton 31st (lapped), Toby Barnes 34th (lapped).


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## Asa Post (28 Nov 2021)

Round 8 in Besançon. 
Temperature just above freezing, and a wet, very muddy, very slippery course with lots of bad cambers and short runs on climbs. Many rider fell at some point as the grip was minimal.
The women's race (5 laps) was over soon after the start. Lucinda Brandt took the lead, extended it, and never looked like being caught. A small chasing group of Denise Betsema, Fem van Empel, and Puck Pieterse were joined by Canadian Maghalie Rochette. Rochette worked her way through to establish herself in second place, with the others fighting for third. Betsema got a small lead and held on, with van Empel fourth and Pieterse fifth. On a good day for North America, Clara Honsinger (after her usual slow start) worked her way up the field to finish seventh.
British result: Anna Kay 22nd - she fell on the start line and did well to catch and pass so many riders.

The men's race was fantastic. Toon Aerts and Eli Iserbyt soon got away from the pack, with Toon Vandebosch just about staying with them. Then Vandebosch has some problem with his gears, and although he managed to ride round to the pits for a new bike, he'd lost contact with the front of the race. Aerts and Iserbyt threw everything at each other, with the lead changing hands many times, and Iserbyt seemed to be tiring as Aerts built a small lead. But, while dismounting to run round a tight and muddy corner, Aerts slipped and fell. Iserbyt went past, and Aerts had to take lots of risks to try to catch him. The risks resulted in more small errors and Iserbyt extended his lead. Then, on the final lap (of 7) Iserbyt rode up a slippery climb and dismounted near the top to run the last few yards, but his shoes couldn't find a grip and he slid back down the slope. He managed to haul himself up, having lost quite a few seconds, but Aerts had nothing left to give and couldn't take advantage of the mistake. Iserbyt won with Aerts second, and they both looked totally spent. Meanwhile, since the midpoint of the race Pim Ronhaar and Michael Vanthourenthout were also neck and neck in a fight for third place. Another tremendous battle saw Ronhaar take his first ever World Cup podium.
No British riders today.


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## normgow (3 Dec 2021)

Sunday's World Cup Race at Antwerp has been cancelled but Saturday's race at Boom in the Superprestige Series is still on.
Tom Pidcock and Wout van Aert make their 'cross season debuts there.


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## bitsandbobs (7 Dec 2021)

You might find a bit more interest on these races in the "minor races" thread in the Pro Cycling forum. At least thats where i post my CX insights!


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## Asa Post (12 Dec 2021)

Round 9 at Val di Sole. Apart from a short road section for the start/finish, it was all snow and ice in sub-zero temperatures. At least the sun was shining.
The races had some big names missing. No Baloise Trek or 777 riders at all, so Lucinda Brandt and Annemarie Worst absent, as well as Carmen Alvarado and Blanka Vas.
Fem van Empel, Denise Betsema, Marianne Vos and Maghalie Rochette formed the lead group from the start, but Rochette dropped back and Puck Pieterse joined. On lap 2 (of 5) Pieterse came off, and so did her chain. The time taken to replace it cost her and she never showed at the front again. Soon after, Vos also lost her chain. It jammed in the frame and although she eventually got it back on she had lost lots of time and places. The leaders were now van Empel, Betsema and Rochette. Rochette was closing on Betsema, but the race was completely unpredictable with one particular long, straight, slightly downhill section causing many falls and slides. Rochette got ahead of Betsema, and home favourite Eva Lechner was also closing up along with Vos. 
At the start of the last lap, Van Empel's lead was reducing, and Vos was flying. She was now third, and catching Rochette for second place. Betsema was dropping back, and Lechner caught her. Vos moved into second, but fell and lost some of the time she'd gained. She remounted and was soon closing again. With two corners left, she was level with van Empel and forced her way in front by taking the inside line. As she rounded the corner, her shoulder collided very heavily with a fence post, and she fell. Van Empel was blocked behind Vos and her bike, but as Vos got up and righted the bike van Empel saw a gap and went through it. By the time Vos was pedaling again, she had lost a few vital seconds and the chance of victory had gone. Van Empel won only her second ever race (the first was the U23 World Championships), Vos second and Rochette third.
No Brits in this one.

The men's race also lacked some big names, but did have Wout van Aert and Tom Pidcock.
Michael Vanthourenhout took a small lead, but the pack were not far away with van Aert at the head of it. By the second lap (of 7) van Aert was in front, with Vanthourenhout struggling to hold on. Eli Iserbyt who had also been riding strongly, started to lose time. Pidcock was now in a fight for 5th and 6th places, and by the fourth lap was challenging for 4th with Quinten Hermans, and both were catching Iserbyt. Iserbyt made a mistake, and Pidcock went into 3rd, but on a running section was in turn overtaken by Iserbyt. Pidcock fought back, and passed him again.
Van Aert and Vanthourenhout were now comfortable in first and second, though both were still slipping and sliding so nothing could be taken for granted.
Iserbyt fell, but a huge effort saw him closing on Pidcock. Then Iserbyt fell yet again, and seemed resigned to 4th place.
Van Aert won easily, Vanthourenhout and Pidcock made the podium.
British results: Pidcock 3rd, Ben Turner 19th,


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## matticus (14 Dec 2021)

Asa Post said:


> Round 9 at Val di Sole. Apart from a short road section for the start/finish, it was all snow and ice in sub-zero temperatures. At least the sun was shining.
> The races had some big names missing. No Baloise Trek or 777 riders at all, so Lucinda Brandt and Annemarie Worst absent, as well as Carmen Alvarado and Blanka Vas.


What a spectacular race! Great to see riders using their bike control and athleticism for most of each lap - instead of just pushing the pedals harder than us :P And a beautiful sight - what a venue!

I watched this on the tiz cycling portal - sorry, no URL to hand - if that's of any use to fellow paupers (google will find it). Seemed to be on a russian host, but pretty good English commentary.


Spoiler: What the heck is the etiquette if



... you fall in front of an opponent on a narrow section? I've too polite to have shoved an opponent in a race, and I don't know the pro-level commisars judge "reasonable". Can you just block another rider until *you*'ve remounted? Vos didn't seem to do this, but I think she had the opportunity


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## Asa Post (18 Dec 2021)

Round 10 in Rucphen. A damp course, but no rain or deep mud.
Marianne Vos, Fem van Empel, Puck Pieterse and Lucinda Brand soon built a small lead which they held for a couple of laps, but Denise Betsema and Annemarie Worst were gradually catching up and by the end of lap 3 (of 7) they were all together. Pieterse and Worst seemed to be dropping off the back, but managed to join up again. On lap 6 Vos attacked, and only Brand and Betsema could follow. On the final lap, Betsema gradually lost touch as Brand took the lead. Vos tried to overtake while both were running over the planks, and got to the front but had trouble clipping her feet back in and Brand led into the finishing straight. With the strength of Brand's sprint, it seemed to be all over, but a tremendous sprint by Vos saw her edge ahead for a great win, with Brand second and Betsema third.
British results: Anna Kay 13th, Amira Mellor 30th, Xan Crees 35th.

The men's race was close for a long time, and at the end of lap 4 (of 9) there were still 12 riders in a line. Eli Iserbyt got a small lead, and seemed to be increasing it on lap 6, but Tom Pidcock led the chase that pulled him back, and together with Michael Vanthourenhout they built a 3 second lead. That looked like it would stick, but other riders fought hard and caught them and a group of 6 entered lap 8 together. Iserbyt attacked again, Vanthourenhout followed, with Pidcock and Quinten Hermans a few seconds back. The gap was held for a long time, but on the final lap Pidcock made a huge effort and caught the leaders. Jumping the planks, Pidcock took the lead and held on in the straight to win. Iserbyt second, Vanthourenhout third.
British results: Pidcock 1st, Thomas Mein 22nd, Ben Turner 24th, Cam Mason 29th, Toby Barnes 33rd


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## Asa Post (19 Dec 2021)

Round 11 at Namur. The course was damp, muddy and very slippery.
Some good British results in the earlier races, Zoe Bäckstedt won the junior women's event by more than a minute, Max Greensill finished 5th in the junior men's, and Cam Mason was 5th in the u23.
No Marianne Vos today, and the podium was settled in the first few minutes as Lucinda Brand, Denise Betsema and Puck Pieterse built a lead. Soon, there were gaps between them as well, with Brand riding superbly at the front and Betsema also pulling away. There was a group battling for fourth, and Fem van Empel got a small lead, but lost it as she fell on the off-camber section. As the race went on, Betsema seemed to be closing on Brand, but not quickly enough to be a threat unless Brand had a major problem. No problem happened, and Brand won comfortably with Betsema second and Pieterse third. Fourth place came down to a sprint between van Empel and Ceylin Alvarado, which van Empel won.
British results: Anna Kay 20th, Amira Mellor 35th, Xan Crees 45th (lapped).

No van Aert today, which must have encouraged the other riders. A large group stayed together, with Quinten Hermans and Toon Aerts at the front. Aerts got a gap as Tom Pidcock moved up to third after starting on the third row. By mid-race, Pidcock had taken second place and was catching Aerts with Michael Vanthourenhout third. Hermans broke a shoe and dropped back. As Pidcock caught Aerts, Aerts had a puncture and was forced to slow. Vanthourenhout moved into second place. Aerts managed to ride round to the pits and changed bikes, and was still in third. Pidcock fell on the off-camber, and Vanthourenhout took the lead. With two laps left, the gap was only a couple of seconds, but Pidcock fell again and the lead increased. On the final lap, Pidcock seemed to realise that he couldn't win, and settled for a comfortable second as Vanthourenhout deservedly won. He was the only one of the leading riders not to have any serious problems. Aerts was third.
British results: Pidcock 2nd, Thomas Mein 15th, Ben Turner 19th.


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## matticus (20 Dec 2021)

Asa Post said:


> Hermans broke a shoe and dropped back


I'd just like to point out that I broke a shoe in practice 2 races ago. We lashed it up with (mainly) duct tape, and I heroically finished my race.

It's tough at the top.


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## Asa Post (26 Dec 2021)

Round 12 in Dendermonde. Very muddy, but most of the course was rideable. It might have been a good thing that there were no spectators, because many of the places where they would have been standing were waterlogged.
Another fabulous day for British riders in the earlier races. Zoe Bäckstedt won the junior women's by almost two minutes, Nathan Smith was second in the junior men's with Ben Askey sixth, and Cam Mason won the men's u23.
During lap 1 (of 5) in the women's race Denise Betsema, Manon Bakker, Ceylin Alvarado, Shirin van Anrooij and Marianne Vos had a small lead, but Puck Pieterse and Lucinda Brand caught them and Blanka Vas and Sanne Cant were also closing. On lap 3 Brand started to pull away and nobody looked like following her. Meanwhile, Clara Honsinger was moving through the field after her usual slow start. Pieterse and Betsema were now in 2nd/3rd, with Vas close behind them. Pieterse fell climbing the steps and Betsema was alone in 2nd. By lap 4, Honsinger was in fifth place and still making progress. She moved into third and started closing on Betsema. While Brand increased her lead, Honsinger took second place. Betsema fell on a slippery descent and Pieterse passed her for third, but Betsema was soon up and repassed her on the final lap. Pieterse was now slowing, and van Anrooij caught her and went into fourth. That seemed to settle things, but on the finishing straight Vos came from nowhere with a powerful sprint that took her past Pieterse and van Anrooij to finish 4th. Podium: Brand, Honsinger, Betsema.
British results: Amira Mellor 37th, Xan Crees 52nd.

The men's race had Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert racing together for the first time this season, but on lap 1 (of 8) it was Toon Aerts who got a small gap. Van der Poel had started on row 3, but moved up to second place and then caught the leader. A big group close behind included van Aert and Tom Pidcock. Aerts, van der Poel and van Aert gradually pulled away, with Quinten Hermans, Michael Vanthourenhout and Eli Iserbyt fighting for fourth place. On lap 3, van Aert built a lead, but van der Poel fought back and by lap 4 they were together at the front with Aerts dropping back. Lap 5 saw van Aert finally get a significant lead, which had increased to 11 seconds by the end of the lap, and 24 seconds at the end of lap 6. The race was effectively over, and van Aert maintained his lead for the final laps with van der Poel settling for second and Aerts third. Pidcock who had always been in the top ten, passed a slowing Iserbyt in the final stages to finish eighth.
British results: Pidock 8th, Ben Turner 15th, Thomas Mein 26th.


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## Asa Post (2 Jan 2022)

Round 13 in Hulst. A dry day with some sunshine. No mud, but the course was slippery in places with some very steep ascents.
Marianne Vos started fast and led for the first few minutes, but two mistakes saw her fall back and Puck Pieterse built a 6 second lead, with a group of seven chasing her. On the second lap, that group began to split and Blanka Vas, Shirin van Anrooij and Fem van Empel pulled away. The gap was a small one, with plenty of riders still in touch. A slip by van Anrooij gave Vas the chance to establish herself in second. Pieterse was now 14 seconds clear and riding well. The third lap saw Vas caught by van Empel, Lucinda Brand and Annemarie Worst, but Pieterse maintained her lead. Brand was not looking as dominant as usual, but fought her way into 2nd with Vas challenging her. Pieterse's lead was down to 8 seconds. Lap 5 saw Denise Betsema appearing for the first time after a poor start, but she was still a long way behind the leader. Brand was now closing quickly on Pieterse, but she stalled on a steep run-up, and Pieterse still had a 4 second lead. As Pieterse tired she was caught by Brand, Worst, Vas and van Empel. Brand took the lead and soon gapped the others. She was 4 seconds clear with one lap to go, Pieterse was still in second and had 5 seconds over the group fighting for third. The race was effectively over as Brand increased her lead. Worst was closing on Pieterse and looked capable of passing her, but the need to put her foot down at the top of a climb cost her time and Pieterse held on. Brand first, Pieterse second. Worst third.
British results: Anna Kay 13th, Zoe Bäckstedt 27th, Harriet Harnden 28th, Ella MacLean-Howell 41st, Emily Carrick-Anderson had entered, but did not start.

The men's race started in dramatic fashion, as Wout van Aert lost his chain in the first few minutes. It jammed, and took ages to free, and when he got going again he was much nearer the back of the field than the front , where Lars van der Haar and Eli Iserbyt led a long line of riders. At the end of lap one, van Aert was 29th and 44 seconds back. By the third lap, Tom Pidcock had moved into 3rd, and he took the lead on one of the steep runs with Iserbyt and van der Haar close behind. As the lap progressed, van der Haar lost touch with the first two. Van Aert was up to 17th but still 44 seconds back. Pidcock now began to attack in earnest, though Iserbyt was fighting hard. The gap was 3 seconds, with van der Haar another 10 seconds behind. Van Aert was making steady progress through the field, but was losing time as he was held up by other riders. By the 6th lap (of 9) the podium was settled unless someone had a major problem. Pidcock led by 6 seconds from Iserbyt. Van der Haar was at 28 seconds and van Aert, although up to 7th place, was at 1:06. The race was now a procession, with the main interest being how far up could van Aert finish. He eventually took 4th place, 1:09 behind Pidcock who won by 12 seconds from Iserbyt with van der Haar 3rd at 33 seconds.
British results: Pidcock 1st, Cam Mason 15th, Ben Turner 18th, Thomas Mein 32nd, Rory McGuire 38th (lapped). Corran Carrick-Anderson entered but did not start.


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## Asa Post (16 Jan 2022)

Round 14 in Flamanville. Sunny, damp underfoot but little mud.
Lots of big names not riding the women's race today, preferring to concentrate on building up for the World's in two weeks time.
Fem van Empel and Puck Pieterse took a small lead, but Blanka Vas, Silvia Persico and Inge van der Heiden caught up. On lap 2 (of 6), Pieterse and van Empel again got away, with Vas also distancing the others but well off the lead. The first two increased their lead, with van Empel holding Pieterse but not closing on her. By lap 4 they were together, and it was nip and tuck all the way from now on. Pieterse slipped climbing the steps, but soon caught up again. Van Empel was looking more controlled, but couldn't get rid of her rival. On the last lap Pieterse attacked, but was quickly caught and passed. Pieterse made one last all-out attack, but van Empel sat on the wheel and kicked again to pass in the last few yards and win. Vas was well behind, but well ahead of everyone else in third.
No Brits today.

No Wout van Aert or Tom Pidcock in the men's race. The first lap didn't spread the field out to any great extent, and it wasn't until lap 3 (of 8) that Eli Iserbyt began to pull ahead, with Toon Aerts and Michael Vanthourenhout following. Effectively, the race was over, as on the remaining laps Iserbyt consistently increased his lead. Aerts and Vanthourenhout rode together until lap 7, when Aerts took a few seconds which he slowly built on to finish second. Probably the most uninteresting race of the series so far.
No Brits in this race.


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## Asa Post (23 Jan 2022)

15th and final round in Hoogerheide. Dry and reasonably mild, with a little mud in places.
The women's race saw a big group stay together, and at the end of lap 2 (of 7) there were still ten riders at the front, with Blanka Vas, Silvia Persico and Marianne Vos in the first three places. During lap 3, Puck Pieterse, Lucinda Brand, Vos and Fem van Empel gained a few seconds on the others, and at the end of the lap Pieterse put in a big attack, but couldn't get away. Vas managed to catch the front four, and the group stayed together through lap 5, with Brand sitting at the back for the whole lap though she didn't look to be in any trouble. On lap 6, Brand went to the front and the increased pace saw Vas lose ground. When Brand attacked for the second time only Vos could follow her, though Pieterse gradually caught them. As the final lap started it was still impossible to pick a winner. Brand lost a few yards, and took a long time to close them. As she joined the leaders, Vos made a huge attack and opened a big gap very quickly. There was no challenge from the others, and Vos won by 10 seconds, with Brand outsprinting Pieterse for second place.
British result: Anna Kay did not finish. She pulled out in the pits on lap 3, looking very upset.
Overall World Cup results: 
Seniors: 1. Lucinda Brand 2. Denise Betsema 3. Marianne Vos.
U23: 1. Puck Pieterse (3rd overall) 2. Fem van Empel (4th overall) 3. Shirin van Anrooij (6th overall)

The men's race also has a large bunch at the front, before Lars van der Haar, Ryan Kamp, Quinten Hermans and Corne van Kessel got a small lead. On lap 2 (of 9) first van Kessel and then Kamp fell back and van der Haar and Hermans had an 11 second advantage, with Tom Pidcock now at the front of the chasing group. Toon Aerts, who was also in the group, crashed at the barriers and took some time to get going again. Pidcock caught the leaders, and Eli Iserbyt, van Kessel and Michael Vanthourenhout were chasing them. On lap 4 van der Haar fell on a downhill bend and brought down Hermans and van Kessel. Van Kessel's chain wrapped round the crank, and he was out of the race. The crash left Pidcock well clear, 12 seconds ahead of Vanthourenhout in second with van der Haar and Iserbyt together in third and fourth at 18 seconds. Vanthourenhout was gradually caught on the 5th lap, with Pidcock's lead at 14 seconds. On lap 6, Iserbyt lost his line on a series of bends and hit the fence, though he didn't lose much time. Pidcock's lead was now 19 seconds and it looked all over. Van der Haar began to lose ground while Iserbyt and Vanthourenhout were gaining on Pidcock, but Vanthourenhout crashed at the barriers and was passed by van der Haar. As the lap ended, Iserbyt was only 6 seconds behind. On the penultimate lap, Iserbyt took the lead, and Vanthourenhout and van der Haar also caught up. The four riders started the final lap together. Iserbyt attacked, and got 2 seconds, with Pidcock leading the chase and eventually catching up. Iserbyt kicked again and Pidcock couldn't respond. Iserbyt won, and van der Haar sprinted past Pidcock for second place.
British results: Pidcock 3rd, Ben Turner 18th, Thomas Mein 22nd, Cam Mason did not finish.
Overall World Cup results: 
Seniors: 1. Eli Iserbyt 2. Michael Vanthourenhout 3. Toon Aerts
U23: 1. Mees Hendrickx 2. Pim Ronhaar 3. Emiel Verstrynge


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