Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado wins the opening race in Ruddervoorde

Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado won the first race of the new Telenet Superprestige season. The Dutch rider held off Fem van Empel and Lucinda Brand in Ruddervoorde.

Leonie Bentveld (Pauwels Sauzen – Bingoal) was the first to enter the West Flemish field, but the Dutch rider couldn’t set the pace for long. Dutch champion Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions) quickly took the lead and immediately made the first acceleration. By the end of the opening lap, she had a 5-second lead over world champion Fem van Empel (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), Leonie Bentveld, and the Italian Sara Casasola (Crelan – Corendon). Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Fenix-Deceuninck), last year’s winner in Ruddervoorde, was a few seconds behind.

Van Empel kept the gap to 8 seconds after two laps, but the world champion didn’t seem able to catch Brand. At the start of the third lap, Alvarado joined the chasing group. She immediately took control and reeled in Brand with Casasola and Van Empel on her wheel.

In the fourth lap, Fem van Empel finally made her move. The world champion pushed hard, with only Casasola initially able to follow her pace, but soon after, Brand and Alvarado caught up again.

In the penultimate lap, Lucinda Brand took the initiative again. The Dutch champion quickly gained a small lead, but Alvarado gave it her all and managed to catch up. Alvarado took the lead but crashed, allowing Van Empel to rejoin the front group. The race finale was incredibly tense, but Alvarado eventually came out on top. The Dutch rider claimed her fourth victory in Ruddervoorde, while Fem van Empel beat Lucinda Brand in a sprint for second place.