New Dutch champion Alvarado runner-up at World Cup race in Spain

After a two-week recess for European national championships, the 2025-2026 UCI Cyclocross World Cup resumed with Sunday’s tenth round in warm Benidorm, Spain. It was as-you-were as Lucinda Brand took her eighth round and 18th overall victory of the season, while new Dutch champion Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado fought her way to the runner-up spot. Sidney McGill was top Canadian in 24th.

Preliminaries

Lucinda Brand was 82 points free and clear over Aniek van Alphen at the top of the GC. Brand had won seven of the nine rounds, new Dutch champion Alvarado having broken Brand’s win streak in the last round in icy Zonhoven.

Sidney McGill and Nico Knoll made up the Canadian contingent.

Inge van der Heijden was first on the long opening slope before Amandine Fouquenet took over. Brand and Kata Blanka Vas loomed over the ex-French champion’s shoulder. Shirin van Anrooij cut into Position 1. The string stayed long on Lap 1 and Fouquenet, wearing ordinary Pauwels Sauzen kit for the first time, pulled along the train. Finally, a gap appeared behind Alvarado in Position 8. McGill was in 18th.

At the start of Lap 2, Brand grabbed the reins. Fouquenet, Vas, new French champion Celia Gery, van Anrooij, Alvarado and Kristyna Zemenova were part of her group. The gang split in two. Alvarado toiled her way over. Fouquenet and Vas vied for the front. McGill was 15th.

Zemenova took her turn pulling the septet at the start of Lap 3 of 6. Moves were at a minimum as the group reinforced its gap back to the next riders. McGill raced in 19th.

In Lap 4‘s big puddle, Brand put in a test surge. Rips appeared and needed mending. At first the two French riders were able to hold Brand’s wheel, Zemenova and Alvarado the closest chasers. And then Brand was gone. McGill sifted down to 22nd.

Alvarado linked up with the French chasers and pulled on the penultimate lap. Shed made a bid for the runner-up spot but the French stayed close. Alvarado’s error in the muck put her back to fourth.

Brand took 20 seconds into the bell lap. Only the podium competition was hot. Fouquenet kept the pace high, but Alvarado insisted on the front, Gery starting to lag. Alvarado used the same section that had stymied her on the previous lap to bid Fouquenet adieu.

Brand’s series lead is an insurmountable 90 points over van…