Sunday marked the end of the Big Three CX series with the finale of the 2025-2026 X2O Badkamers Trofee, the Brussels Universities Cross in Brussels, Belgium. Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado’s race looked scuppered in the middle due to a flat tire, but she tore through the field, caught Lucinda Brand and took the day’s flowers. Brand wrapped up the title long ago.
Preliminaries
Like in the Krawatencross last week in Lille, series winner Brand didn’t have to race, but she was polishing off her first season in Brussels. Alvarado raced and won her first X2O Trofee round in Lille.
The course looked tricky in the recon, Brand and others taking a few spills.
There was chaos right from the start. Amandine Fouquenet was clear of the carnage and rode with Leonie Bentveld on her six. Italian Lucia Bramati grabbed the front, Alvarado muscling her way up the string after getting held up early. Bramati crashed coming out of natural rollers, Fouquenet and Alvarado passing her.
At the start of Lap 2, Fouquenet was able to ride the steep climb while others pushed. Alvarado scrambled to catch up and made a charge past. Brand and Fouquenet chased. A gear-changing problem in a muddy section almost brought Brand to a halt, allowing Alvarado to lope free and take seven seconds into the next lap.
Brand found Alvarado again and bounded away. Behind them, Fouquenet came around a corner sideways. Alvarado had a flat front tire and long way to the pits. Manon Bakker, second place overall in the series, and Inge van der Heijden joined Alvarado and Fouquenet. Brand was gone and Alvarado was back in seventh.
Going into Lap 4 of 6, Brand had 13 seconds to play with over Fouquenet, Bakker and van der Heijden. Alvarado climbed up to fifth. Fouquenet lit out after the world champion on her own, but when the French rider was yanked back, Alvarado made the junction.
Alvarado led the pursuing quartet into the penultimate lap. The wind might have been in her hair, but could Alvarado actually bring back Brand? The chase group was in tatters. Alvarado grabbed Brand before the line.
Who would prevail on the…
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