Lucinda Brand continued her remarkable streak of form on Sunday, winning the Flandriencross with a race long solo move.
Getting away from the gun, the Baloise-Glowi Lions rider build a lead which remained around the 12 second mark throughout the race, with European champion Inge van der Heijden (Crelan-Corendon) unable to close the gap.
Brand’s win was the rider’s third consecutive victory in all competitions, coming the day after she won the Aardbeiencross on Saturday. Not only is the victory her seventh from nine starts this year, it also marks her 50th consecutive podium finish. The last time she was not in a race top three was January 2024, when she was fourth at the Benidorm World Cup race.
How it unfolded
The Rectavit Flandriencross in Hamme, round three of the X2O Badkamers Troffee was held on a muddy, undulating and challenging course, just west of the Belgian city of Antwerp.
Not normally known for lightening starts, Lucinda Brand (Baloise-Glowi Lions) got away from the gun, quickly building a lead which was out to 11 seconds at the end of the first lap. However, as she made some mistakes on the second circuit, it seemed European champion Inge van der Heijden (Crelan-Corendon) might create some jeopardy from from what had initially seemed a foregone conclusion.
However, Brand realised the threat, opening the taps on the third lap and reestablishing her advantage, crossing the line at the end of lap four with a lead of 15 seconds.
Behind them, Aniek van Alphen (Seven Racing) and Marie Schreiber (SD Worx-Protime) had their own battle for third place, the pair edging away from the chasing groups. Of the pair Luxembourg champion, Schreiber seemed the strongest, though her Dutch rival seemed the more smooth rider in the challenging conditions.
The pair exchanged blows throughout the race, Schreiber edging ahead on the power sections, Van Alphen creating gaps in the technical parts.
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