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British champion Helen Wyman (Kona) grabbed the biggest win of her career in the Koppenbergcross on Monday afternoon. The 29-year-old dealt best with the mud on the famous helling and held off the young Belgian champion Sanne Cant (BKCP-Powerplus) in an exciting mudfight. The battle for third place was won by Sanne van Paassen (Brainwash) ahead of her Dutch compatriot Daphny van den Brand (ZZPR.nl). Van Paassen remains in the lead in the general classification of the Gazet van Antwerpen Trophy.

“It’s unreal,” a delighted Wyman said after the race. “It took me six years but I finally won a race in Belgium and what a race it is. All the history of this climb makes it so special to win here. I’m standing here with a cobble and I think I’ll charge people if they want to touch it,” Wyman joked. “Today was really gevaarlijk,” Wyman mixed in a Dutch word to describe how dangerous it was to plough a way through the mud.

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Zonhoven, Belgium this past Saturday it was Van den Brand and Sanne Cant who took the holeshot, but it became clear that the Dutch national champion was world class today. Sanne van Paassen came through in fifth position after the first lap after a crash but quickly rejoined Cant and Helen Wyman in the battle for second. Lap by lap Van den Brand extended her lead and soloed to her second win of the season. The battle for second between Wyman, Cant and Van Paassen was decided in the final lap in favor of Wyman. Van Paassen was third, Cant finished fourth, Pavla Havlikova fifth. Nikki Harris, Joyce Vanderbeken, Nancy Bober, Nicolle de Bie-Leyten and Gabby Day completed the top 10.

Wyman took her second podium place of the week; Last Tuesday she was already third in Nacht van Woerden. “I knew that I could get on the podium, but didn’t expected that it was going so well. If I can do the same tomorrow in Oudenaarde, my residence during the winter season, that would be really awesome.”

Women’s Brief Results

1. Daphny Van Den Brand (Ned)
2. Helen Wyman (GBr)
3. Sanne Van Paassen (Ned)
4. Sanne Cant (Bel)
5. Pavla Havlikova (Cze)