Blanka Vas (SD Worx-Protime) started fast and finished strong, holding off a resurgent Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) to win the Maasmechelen World Cup race and show she is a favourite for next week's UCI Cyclocross World Championships.
Bäckstedt was leading on the final lap but stumbled on the key off-camber sector. She was suddenly five seconds behind Vas but fought back in the final sectors.
Vas dived into the final corner with Bäckstedt almost in her slipstream but the finish line was in sight and she could celebrate a huge win in the mud. Despite her strong ride in the World Cup elite division, Bäckstedt confirmed she will ride the under-23 race at the World Championships.
Lucinda Brand (Baloise Glowi Lions) was third at 12 seconds, with Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) fourth at 28 seconds, after going over her bike on the barriers.
"After a tough couple of years, I'm back at the top, it's great to do it. I'm really happy with the victory, " Vas said proudly.
"I practised the off-camber a lot and we even came to train on the course on Friday. I think it was also smart to only change my bike once and that helped me come back to the front.
"On the last downhill sector, I looked back and saw that Zoe was coming full gas, but luckily I had the legs sprint."
Fem van Empel (Visma-Lease a Bike) led from the start but Vas soon took over, showed her intentions and lined out the big-name favourites on the muddy but fast course.
Van Empel slipped on the steep off-camber section and lost places, as Brand moved up after a difficult start.
Bäckstedt was constantly in the top four positions and opened a gap as the third of five laps began. Pieterse was only four seconds back, with Brand at five seconds and Vas at eight seconds. They were racing for victory, everyone else was already over 30 seconds behind.
The race shuffled again on lap four when Bäckstedt slipped out on the off-camber section, and four riders came together once again. Van Empel flipped over her bike on the same section and so did Ceylin Del Carmen Alvarado (Fenix-Deceuninck). Most riders were forced to run the section. Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) also took a dive later, with her front wheel sinking deep into the mud.
Through the trees and mud, Brand upped the pace and opened a gap but the others came back to her, taking different lines through the puddles and mud and using their different techniques to fight for the front.
Then suddenly Brand lost contact with the front group. Bäckstedt did not hesitate and surged away, the bell ringing as she crossed the line to start the final lap.
She looked like she was heading for victory but then slipped out on the fatal off-camber. Vas got up to her and surged away. Behind Pieterse crashed on the barriers, as her front wheel sunk into the mud and she flipped over the bike.
Vas was away and riding to victory, with Bäckstedt at five seconds. However, the 20-year-old and huge favourite for the under-23 women's World Championships refused to give up.
She found a final surge of speed and closed the gap. Fortunately for Vas, the finish came quickly and so she took her second World Cup win of her career. After two difficult seasons, she is back to her very best.
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