Lucinda Brand extended her astonishing run of results, winning the fifth race of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup in Antwerp on Saturday. The Baloise-Glowi Lions rider edged clear on the final lap, staying away to win her 11th race in 13 starts this season.
In what was a brilliant, gripping race on the shores of the Schelde river, Brand won a tight fight with Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Fenix-Deceuninck), who finished second. Aniek van Alphen (Seven Racing) started the day only one point ahead of Brand in the overall World Cup standings, but finished third, ceding the jersey to Brand.
How it unfolded
The fifth round of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup headed north to Antwerp and the Scheldecross on the sandy shores of the Schelde River. The course had undergone significant changes from previous editions, with much more sand for the riders to tackle, and that addition had an instant impact.
Though Amandine Fouquenet (Arkéa-B&B hotels) got her customary fast start, World Cup series leader Aniek van Alphen (Seven Racing) and European Champion, Inge van der Heijden (Crelan-Corendon), both excellent sand riders, quickly got a gap.
Behind them, in-form Lucinda Brand (Baloise-Glowi Lions) was slow off the line, slipping back into the clutches of the pack, and was forced to work hard to catch the two leaders. However, a mistake in the mud saw the former World Champion reach Van der Heijden, while Van Alphen made hay at the front, building her advantage.
At the end of the first 3.37km circuit, she led Van der Heijden by eight seconds, with Brand close behind in third place, the pack also closing in again. In what was a frantic start, the second lap saw Brand move into second place and close the gap on the leader, managing to stay on her bike longer than anyone else in another sand sector.
Half way around that second lap the race came back…
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