Seirin del Carmen Alvarado (Alpecin-Phoenix) was the first to return to the podium at the UCI Cyclocross World Cup after missing the opening round due to illness. The European champion overcame a less than ideal starting position to finish third in the fourth round of the series in Sonnenhofen on the Belgian sand course.

Alvarado had missed the opening three rounds in the U.S. due to health issues, but the team announced that his "disturbed blood count" had normalized again. However, with Waterloo, Fayetteville, and Iowa City missing, the Dutch rider's starting position was third row on the 19th grid.

"It was really hard," Alvarado said in a television interview shortly after the finish. 'The race itself was hard, but starting from the back and going to the front was also hard.'

Alvarado, 23, finished third behind Denis Betsema (Pauwels Sauzen Bingoel), who made the most of the sandy course, and world champion Lucinda Brand (Valoise Trek Lions). Alvarado passed teammate Pieterse on the last lap of the seven-lap race to take the podium, but Pieterse did not give up his podium spot easily, holding on to fourth place to finish as the top U23 rider.

"I was happy with the race today," Alvarado said, but she wondered what would have happened if she had started on the front row.

Alvarado's lap times in the final three laps were second only to the winner, Betsema, who had to run wide in the sandy sections where the other riders around her were forced to run, and her pace increased as the laps went by.

"There wasn't much difference between us and Brand," Alvarado said in a report on the Dutch website Wielerflits. Let's hope for next week."

The next round of the World Cup will be held on October 31 in Aubayse. Last season, Obaise was the fifth and final round of the shortened World Cup series. Alvarado showed speed on the muddy downhill and held off Brando to win the race.