Bukovská (BK shop Ostrava) traditionally had a weaker start. While the French defending champion Lise Revol was already in the lead alone and followed by three female pursuers, the Czech favorite was pushing herself in the first larger group up to about fifteenth position. After the first of five laps, she lost more than half a minute. Only in the third it started to look promising and in the fourth inevitable. Bukovská first pulled the three in front of her, then Revol and immediately drove her away.
In the meantime, Lucie Grohová (Dukla Praha) sensationally pulled herself to third position, while passing through the last circuit, perhaps out of sheer enthusiasm, she strummed the barrier and landed on the asphalt. But she pulled herself together and bravely finished third (-35), just like she did at the World Cup in Flamanville. At that moment, Bukovská was already rejoicing at the finish line, Revol finished second without a chance (-15).
“It’s a dream come true, a beautiful dream. I felt very strong, it was my best day of the season,” said the 17-year-old reigning European and national champion. “At the beginning it was very difficult to get ahead, but I still believed that I would finish Revolova. I gave it my all and it turned out as well as possible. It is very difficult, like a real cyclocross. There are ramps, obstacles, stairs, just everything,” said coach Stanislav Kozubek’s confidante enthusiastically.
“We’re used to it, we’re working on it, it’s getting better. It looks scary at first, but then she pulls it off like a highwayman. It’s nerve-wracking and extremely funny in her performance.” he remarked at her start. “We were preparing for this single most important race. In Hoogerheide she had a problem and finished second, which was the best thing that could have happened for the psyche. She was all the more motivated. After analyzing their best results, the time off helped her. She handled it well with her head, she coped with the pressure of expectations with a cool head. She was able to ride what she had and believed in herself, she was perfectly focused. She confirmed the role of the favorite.” he praised his current Queen of Czech Cycling, but also her family for their great support.
“I got off to a good start, but I fell in the run-out. I pulled away, I don’t even know how, as if all the girls were burning it. But the course was very difficult, a real cyclocross. Already in third place, I looked back to see how far behind me the Italian woman was and I didn’t even know that I was so close to the barrier. I hit her, but I managed to keep it. The brake lever was completely turned, I was completely scraped… I didn’t expect to get a medal. I didn’t feel very good and I thought that placing in the top 5 would be great.” added 18-year-old Grohová, who beat Bukovská on the snow at the home championship in Jičín last year and then finished eighth at the world championship. The protégé of coaches Jiří Štěpaník and David Šulec from Pilsen’s Kařez is the next great hope of Czech cyclocross.
Barbora Šíslová finished 20th (-3:34) and Karolína Rothbauerová 31st (-5:30), Eva Drhová did not finish.
Complete results can be found at cx.procyclingstats.com.
