Betsema victorious at Scheldecross

Denise Betsema (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) claimed victory in the 2020 Scheldecross on Saturday, going solo half-way through the race and holding off Lucinda Brand (Telenet Baloise Lions) in a dramatic late pursuit. 

Annemarie Worst (777) claimed the final podium spot in the third round of the X²O Badkamers Trofee series, which is the rebranded DVV series. 

Although she was unable to claw back Betsema, there was consolation for Brand in taking the overall lead in the series classification from Yara Kastelijn (Credishop-Fristads), who finished seventh. 

Betsema made her move on the third of five laps of the Antwerp course, shortly after Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Alpecin-Fenix) saw her day - plus her hopes of overall series success - scuppered by a mechanical problem. The world champion spent nearly a minute trying to unblock her chain, before shouldering her bike and running all the way to the pits, by which point she was already more than three minutes in arrears. 

Alvarado, Betsema, Brand, Worst, and Kastelijn had established themselves as the strongest riders in an early five-rider lead group. Betsema made her move shortly after the Alvarado mechanical, driving open her advantage through one of the numerous sand sections and never looking back. 

Brand and Worst were 10 seconds back at the end of lap 3, with Kastelijn losing ground, and that pattern held heading into the final lap. However, Brand produced a huge surge in the final lap in an attempt to claw her way back. 

She made inroads, and it looked like she might be able to get back on terms when she rode a steep banking where Betsema wrongfooted and had to dismount. However, Betsema safely negotiated the final couple of barriers, and Brand was clearly cooked from the chase, allowing the Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal rider to sit up and celebrate in the home straight.