World Champion Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Alpecin-Fenix) saw her chance to grab her first podium spot in this season’s X²O Badkamers Trofee series grind to a halt on the third lap of Saturday’s Scheldecross.
The team reported that the culprit was an 'iron wire' entangled in the cassette and rear derailleur, which forced Alvarado to stop on the course at a crucial time in the race.
"She never managed to get that iron wire that she picked up somewhere along the course out with her hands," said team manager Philip Roodhooft, according to Het Nieuwsblad.
"Even with pliers it was quite a job. That wire was twisted all the way around her gears in the back."
Alvarado was part of a five-rider group that had established themselves at the front of the field, which included eventual winner Denise Betsema (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal), Lucinda Brand (Telenet Baloise Lions), Annemarie Worst (777), and Yara Kastelijn (Credishop-Fristads).
She had to dismount her bike and spent nearly a full minute trying to free the wire from the drivetrain.
With no luck, the Alpecin-Fenix rider placed her inoperable machine on her shoulder and ran to the pits for a bike change. She would finish 23rd, almost four minutes behind Betsema.
The team’s press officer posted a photo of the wire, which seemed to be caught in spokes and rear hub of her bike.
Alvarado is expected to line up on Sunday at Telenet Superprestige at Gavere, where she is ranked second in that series after five events.
