Happy New Year! On Friday, Lucinda Brand ushered in the new 365 day calendar by winning the wet, climb GP Sven Nys, the sixth round of the 2025-2025 X2O Badkamers Trofee in Baal, Belgium. Canada’s Rafaelle Carrier, having a 10th and a 16th in Christmas season Superprestige rounds, and 14th in the Dendermonde World Cup, earned seventh place in Baal. Brand romped to victory–now six for six in the series, her overall lead is gigantic.
Preliminaries
Having swept the first five races, Lucinda Brand’s series lead was enormous: 9:14 on Manon Bakker, who was third in the last two rounds. Belgian Julia Brouwer had quietly taken over third place in GC.
The Canadian contingent was a proper mob: Siobhan Kelly, Nico Knoll, Katja Verkerk, Rafaelle Carrier, Alexa Haviland, Clare Hauber, Elly Moore and Claire MacKinnon.
Zoe Backstedt was prominent at the front soon after the green light but Jolanda Neff was focused on the lead. Puck Pieterse, who took her first win of the season Tuesday at the Superprestige series’ night race in Diegem, made an error on the concrete steps. Neff attacked with Brand on her wheel. Backstedt, Pieterse and Marion Norbert Riberolle followed. Brand then took her leave. Backstedt and Pieterse were 13 seconds in arrears after the first circuit. Carrier was 10th.
Pieterse put a few seconds into Backstedt on Lap 2, but it was a big ask of Puck to get back to Brand, as 20 seconds seperated the two at the end of the circuit. Carrier was up to eighth.
The mucky conditions made for busier pits. Pieterse kept up her relentless but fruitless pursuit on Lap 3 of 5. Carrier was seventh.
On the penultimate lap, the gaps between Brand, Pieterse and Backstedt couldn’t be reduced on the greasy course. Riberolle and Neff had elaborate dreams about pinching the podium from Backstedt. Carrier remained seventh.
Pieterse made some inroads in the bell lap, crossing the line only 12 seconds behind Brand. Backstedt was a distance third.
The X2O Badkamers Trofee series now has a long recess until February 8’s Krawatencross in Lille.
2025-2025 X2O Badkamers Trofee, Round 6, Baal
1) Lucinda Brand (The Netherlands/Baloise Lions) 42:10
1) Puck Pieterse (The Netherlands/Fenix-Premier Tech) +0:12
3) Zoe Backstedt (Great Britain/SD Worx-Protime) +1:30
7) Rafaelle Carrier (Canada) +2:59
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