Lucinda Brand kept up her fantastic streak on Sunday’s sandy, mucky third round of the 2025-2026 UCI World Cup in Terralba, Sardinia, Italy, the Dutch rider’s eighth win of the season making 52 consecutive podiums. Aniek van Alphen kept the series lead, nine points ahead of Brand. Sidney McGill raced to 15th.
Preliminaries
Van Alphen’s Flamanville round was a career highlight, as she earned both a victory and the overall lead in the series. Van Alphen led the absent Amandine Fouquenet by 12 points at the top of the overall standings. After missing Flamanville, both Brand and Italy’s Sara Casasola were on the starting line.
For the second consecutive Sunday, black-clad McGill was the only Canadian racing in the World Cup.
Van Alphen got a good start, Brand on her six. Brand took over in the first long sand section, Leonie Bentveld hip to her move. Brand, Bentveld, van Alphen and Casasola created a front group. Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado had a lot of work to do. The quartet finished the first 3.215-km circuit in 7:53. McGill was eighth, racing alongside Alvarado.
Shirin van Anrooij and Manon Bakker caught up to Brand and company at the start of Lap 2 of 6. Just after Brand pried open a gap, Alvarado climbed off her bike. McGill was joined by Denise Betsema and Annemarie Worst. Brand’s gap was nine seconds at the line. McGill was still eighth.
On Lap 3 Van Alphen lit out for Brand on her own as McGill began to sift down the pack. Van Anrooij pulled into a podium position. McGill raced in 14th.
Van Anrooij found van Alphen at the start of Lap 4. Brand kept on pounding it out, 24 seconds clear, with van Anrooij running interference for her Baloise-Glowi Lions teammate.
The bell lap was where van Alphe and van Anrooij battled for the runner-up spot, their podium steps without doubt. The series leader prevailed but it was a great round for van Anrooij. Brand cleaned off in the sea.
The next World Cup round is next Sunday in Namur, Belgium, where Puck Pieterse might make her season debut.
2025-2026 UCI World Cup in, Round 3, Terralba
1) Lucinda Brand (The Netherlands/Baloise-Glowi Lions) 47:14
2) Aniek van Alphen (The Netherlands/Seven) +0:20
3) Shirin van Anrooij (The Netherlands/Baloise-Glowi Lions) +0:33
15) Sidney McGill (Canada) +3:10
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…