Exact Cross 2023 – 6 – Loenhout [FULL RACE] (ladies)

December 30, 2022

Exact Cross 2023 WE – 6 – Loenhout

The Exact Cross series – formerly known as Ethias Cross and Brico Cross – is one of the four major series in the cyclocross season, making it one of the most prestigious series in modern cyclocross. The series takes place over eight rounds throughout the season, with all of the rounds being held in Belgium, one of the two heartlands of cyclocross alongside the Netherlands. Unlike other series, Exact Cross does not award points towards any sort of classification at the end of each race, nor does it compose an overall ranking. Exact Cross is instead a series of one-day races spread throughout the calendar, with whoever crosses the finish line in 1st place winning the race and the bounty of prizes on offer (which is usually money). The Exact Cross series started as the Brico Cross series in the 2016/17 season and had only six rounds in its first edition. In the 2018/19 season, the series introduced its current eight-round format and for the 2019/20 season, the series was renamed ‘Ethias Cross’. For this season the series will be known as ‘Exact Cross’ and will introduce some new races to its calendar, while still maintaining its eight-round format.

Shirin van Anrooij (Trek Baloise Lions) more than lived up to her status as pre-race favourite at the Exact Cross in Loenhout, blasting through rough weather and course conditions to take her third win in a week.

At the end of a long, 49-minute race, Marie Schreiber (Tormans) placed second, 57 seconds down, after Van Anrooij took off just a lap into the largely flat, rain-soaked, and muddy course in the province of Antwerp. Manon Bakker (Crelan-Fristads) rounded out the podium in third.

Schreiber had tried her luck early on, with Kristyna Zemanova (Brilon-MB) also looking active. However, Van Anrooij was having none of it, the 20-year-old taking off on the first of six laps to dominate the field with ease and capture the last cyclocross race of 2022.

With a second place Superprestige Diegem, wins at the Gavere World Cup and the Exact Cross at Mol to her name in the last week – not to mention a third place in Loenhout in 2020 – Van Anrooij was always likely to be one of the favourites.

And the absence of some of the other top names like Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, Denise Betsema and Lucinda Brand, the latter a double winner at Loenhout, made that even more the case.

Still, as the rain teemed down, Schreiber did push on a little early on the first of six laps with Zemanova hard on her heels, only for Van Anrooij to zip past before the first circuit was completed.

From then on, the Dutchwoman’s only real rival was herself, and if Schreiber could more or less maintain the gap on the more technical sections, each time Van Anrooij hit a faster section, the more her margin increased.

By the end of lap 2, only a major upset could have taken away first place from Van Anrooij, who even eased her pace slightly to be sure of avoiding any crashes on the increasingly muddy, waterlogged circuit.

But there were no disasters to speak of, and instead, the Dutchwoman came home for a third win out of four in a week.

Schreiber then claimed second, over a minute back and Manon Bakker delivered a fine late charge to overtake Zemanova and solo home to give the Netherlands two of the top three spots on the day. But from almost start to finish the last event of 2022 proved to be a one-rider race.

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