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Essen Cyclocross podium history | 2022 edition

Weather at the race city of Essen at 2:00 PM, local time: 8C (46F), mostly cloudy with the wind from the east at 13 km/hr (8 mph). There is just a 3% chance of rain during the afternoon.

Complete results: Men | Women

The 2021 Ethias-Essen race course.

Men:

Start list

Wout van Aert wins again. Photo: Photopress.be

Les Woodland's book Cycling 50 Triumphs & Tragedies: The Rise and Fall of Bicycle Racing's Champions is available as an audiobook here.

The race: Here is the report from winner Wout van Aert's Jumbo-Visma team:

Wout van Aert has crushed the opposition in the Ethias cross in Essen. The Belgian champion won with an advantage of almost two minutes over the first pursuer. With his second cross victory in a row, the rider of Team Jumbo-Visma confirmed his excellent condition.

After a reconnaissance lap of the course, Van Aert appeared to be looking forward to it already. “There are both mud sections and good sections here. Both suit me”, Van Aert said before the start.

The opposition had been warned, and Van Aert showed his strength with a solid start. After a few stumbles, he already found his cadence in the second lap. Then he systematically built his lead.

“Mission accomplished”, Van Aert said afterward. “Although I have to add that it wasn’t as easy as it might have seemed.

Van Aert also looked ahead to Sunday’s World Cup cross in Val di Sole. “Tomorrow we will have very different conditions with ice and snow. It will be harder to make a difference quickly. Whoever can deal best with those specific conditions will win.”

Complete results, men:

Men's startlist, December 12, 2021:

Women:

Start list

Zoe Backstedt takes a solo win on a muddy course. Photo: Photopress.be

Les Woodland's book Tour de France: The Inside Story - Making the World's Greatest Bicycle Race is available as an audiobook here.

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

Zoe Bäckstedt has once again confirmed her status as a top talent. The 17-year-old British rider rode unthreatened to her first professional victory on Belgian soil in the Ethias Cross. An emotional Laura Verdonschot was delighted with her second place.

In the run-up to the Ethias Cross in Essen, Bäckstedt made no secret of her ambitions: winning was the main goal. The European junior champion had already finished ninth in Boom last week and had an excellent opportunity to take a shot at victory.

Already in the first lap, Bäckstedt grabbed the bull by the horns. The 17-year-old daughter of Paris-Roubaix winner Magnus Bäckstedt dived into the field first. Her compatriot Anna Kay followed in her footsteps for a while, but had to release the role at the end of the first round.

In the heavy mud sections Bäckstedt showed herself to be supreme, lap after lap she continued to increase her lead. In the background, the battle for second place was more exciting. Kay was joined by Laura Verdonschot in the second round, but the rider of Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal was also too strong for the laureate of the Ethias Cross in Leuven.

An emotional Verdonschot burst into tears after the finish. After a difficult period, her second place was clearly very rewarding. Kay secured her third place at more than a minute and a half from Bäckstedt.

Complete results, women:

Women's startlist, December 12, 2021:

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