Joran Wyseure and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado took the honours at Saturday’s HG Cross in Heerde, with both riders producing impressive performances on the demanding sandy circuit at Heerderstrand in the Netherlands.
The third event of the 2026/27 HG Cross series, formerly known as Exact Cross, provided plenty of entertainment as the riders tackled a mixture of deep sand, woodland trails and technical sections around the recreation lake.
Wyseure Fights Back to Claim Victory
Belgium’s Joran Wyseure produced a determined ride to claim the elite men’s victory, overcoming a chaotic start that left several contenders struggling at the back of the field.
Confusion at the starting signal saw part of the peloton hesitate while others accelerated away. Wyseure and Pim Ronhaar were among those caught out, forcing them to work their way through the field.
Niels Vandeputte, Mees Hendrikx and Ryan Kamp featured prominently in the early stages, while defending champion Joris Nieuwenhuis gradually moved into contention.
As the race developed, Nieuwenhuis and Wyseure established themselves as the strongest contenders. The Dutchman, who had won the Nacht van Woerden earlier in the week, repeatedly pressed the pace, but Wyseure matched his efforts.
The decisive moment came on the final lap, when Wyseure used his superior handling through the difficult sand beside the lake to open a small but crucial advantage.
The Crelan-Corendon rider crossed the line seven seconds ahead of Nieuwenhuis, with Vandeputte completing the podium a further nine seconds behind. Felipe Orts finished fourth, while promising Belgian youngster Giel Lejeune impressed with fifth place.
Alvarado Takes First Win of the Season
In the women’s race, Dutch champion Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado secured her first victory of the season following a closely contested battle with Denise Betsema and Manon Bakker.
Defending champion Fem van Empel, making just her second appearance since returning to competition, started strongly and briefly led the race before losing ground following a bike change and several technical mistakes.
Betsema took advantage, opening a twelve-second lead after two laps, but Alvarado and Bakker gradually closed the gap.
The leading trio remained closely matched until the final lap, when Alvarado accelerated decisively through the sand to establish the winning advantage.
Betsema recovered to secure second place, ten seconds behind the winner, while Aniek van Alphen produced an impressive comeback to snatch third ahead of Bakker.
Van Empel eventually finished fifth, 1 minute 18 seconds behind Alvarado. Although unable to repeat her 2025 victory at Heerde, the three-time world champion continues to build her form following her lengthy absence from racing.
With both defending champions beaten, Heerde provided another reminder of the depth of competition developing in the opening weeks of the cyclocross season.
