The project's tracked rider in this CX-specialist field, Pieterse was the early aggressor, hitting the front and looking the strongest in the opening laps of the frozen Zonhoven course. But the ice undid her: a first mistake cost her contact with the leaders, and a second fall on lap five — when she had already lost too much ground to fight for the win — sealed her fate. She held on for third at +0:49 to round out an all-Dutch podium, a respectable winter result for a rider whose main targets lie on the road and mountain bike.

• Hit the front early and looked the strongest on the ice
• Fell for a second time, locking in third place

A win forged out of adversity. Alvarado crashed early and dropped out of the lead group, but recovered to read the icy conditions better than anyone, working her way back to the front. When leader Lucinda Brand veered into the fencing on lap five, Alvarado hit the front and led for most of the closing two laps, needing only to stay upright over the final half-lap to solo home in 51:33. The win made her a back-to-back winner at Zonhoven.

• Crashed early and dropped out of the lead group
• Took the lead after Brand's mistake and led the final two laps to win

The overall World Cup leader led much of the race and pushed to go clear, but her eagerness was her undoing: she lost control and veered into the fencing on lap five, dropping out of the lead and pitting for a bike change. That mistake handed the win to Alvarado; Brand recovered to take second at +0:23.

• Veered into the fencing while leading, lost the front and took a bike change