After taking a short breather, the 2025-2026 UCI Cyclocross World Cup was back on Boxing Day with Round 7 of 12 in chilly Gavere, Belgium. It was business as usual for the irrepressible Lucinda Brand, who took her 14th win of the season and 10th consecutive victory, increasing her gap at the top of the series standings. Puck Pieterse recorded her first podium of the season. Nico Knoll was top Canadian in 36th.
Preliminaries
Winner of five of the first six rounds, Brand’s lead at the top of the general classification was approaching the insurmountable: 32 points separated her from second place Aniek van Alphen.
The Canadian contingent was Siobhan Kelly, Nico Knoll and Dorothee Perron.
Heusden-Zolder Superprestige victor Amandine Fouquenet floated to the top after the start and led the string, but Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado wanted the job. Brand bided her time. Kata Blanka Vas, who had a good Superprestige round on Tuesday, was prominent. On a short, steep climb, Shirin van Anrooij assumed the lead and made a move, teammate Brand and Fouquenet tagging along. Puck Pieterse, Alvarado and Celia Gery were the closest pursuers, three seconds behind at the line. Knoll was 37th.
The two trios merged early in Lap 2, with van Anrooij wanting to force the issue. The course was dry but riders hit the pits to receive different tires and pressures. Van Alphen was trying to join in. Pieterse and van Anrooij had a little gap at the front, Brand labouring to mend the rift. Alvarado began to lose ground. Van Anrooij crashed and was lucky to be close to a pit. Pieterse and Brand now had the lead, Fouquenet and Gery four seconds in arrears. Knoll raced in 31st.
On Lap 3 of 6, Brand pitted again. A crash by Pieterse but the series leader back in front. She had company in the French riders Fouquenet and Gery but not for long.
Pieterse latched onto the French duo before Lap 4 and drove hard. Brand’s gap achieved double figures. Van Alphen and Vas moved through Alvarado and van Anrooij with aspirations to join Pieterse et al. Fouquenet took her leave of the others. Pieterse dropped Gery, who saw van Alphen carve around her. Knoll had dropped down to 35th.
On the penultimate lap, Fouquenet strove to keep her runner-up position and Pieterse wanted to keep her podium position from Gery and van Alphen. Pieterse crowded the French champion.
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