Lucinda Brand (Netherlands) clinched her second rainbow jersey following a determined performance in the elite women’s UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Hulst.
Brand was pushed all the way for victory as Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado finished second, 27 seconds behind, while Puck Pieterse completed a Netherlands podium sweep with third.
The win was made even sweeter as Brand’s world championships build-up had been far from perfect after suffering a minor calf injury last weekend.
It was Brand’s 19th win of the season from 24 starts during an impressive campaign. Brand said the victory was made more special as her last cyclo-cross World Championship victory came when no spectators were allowed due to covid-19 restrictions in 2021.
“It feels amazing,” said Brand. “It’s really good after such a great season to win on the most important day, some people call it.
“It’s fantastic in front of a home crowd. If it goes so well, you also dream to win this race of cause. I previously won the title already, the relief might be bigger if you didn’t have it yet.
“It’s fantastic to win it here in front of the crowd in my home country. What makes it way more special is that there were way more people to cheer me on instead of five people, staff (covd-19 restrictions).”
How it unfolded
The fortress city of Hulst, on the Dutch-Belgium border, provided a spectacular backdrop with the 3.3-kilometre course containing 150 metres of elevation gain, including steep climbs and descents to test riders’ technical abilities.
There was no defending champion on the start line as 23-year-old Fem Van Empel…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at CyclingNews RSS Feed…