Who can stop a rampant Lucinda Brand this season?

After two weeks in which the Superprestige series asserted itself, the 2025-2026 X2O Badkamers Trofee returned with Sunday’s third round, the Flandriencross in Hamme, Belgium. With Sara Casasola, Marion Norbert Riberolle, Fem van Empel, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, Puck Pieterse, and Zoe Backstedt not racing early in the ‘cross season, Sunday underscored the question, “Who can stop Lucinda Brand?” Brand has a commanding lead in the X20 Trofee, going three for three races while earning her seventh win of the season.

Brand celebrates at the line in Hamme.

Preliminaries

After winning the first two rounds, Lucinda Brand was 2:00 ahead of absent Sara Casasola and over four minutes on top of Inge van der Heijden. Also absent was Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, who took the Flandriancross last season.

The rubber duckies were back! Marie Schreiber and Annemarie Worst were on the start line for the first time this season. Inge van der Heijden and Brand vied for the hole shot on the 2.4-km course. Brand took off tout de suite. A tangle of other riders slowed the chase. Brand took an early bike change but her lead stayed considerable, 11 seconds by the line.

Van der Heijden pursues Brand on Lap 1.

Aniek van Alphen was in a podium scrap with surprising Larissa Hartog and Schreiber. Two Brand mistakes in close succession on Lap 2 kept van der Heijden in with a shout. Brand’s lead was cut to five seconds going into Lap 3 of 6.

Van der Heijden keeps up her dogged pursuit.

Brand reestablished a double-digit gap. Van Alphen and Schreiber left Hartog behind and on Lap 4 Schreiber tried to dump her company but the two were locked in their private contest.

Schreiber vs van Alphen provided Sunday’s drama.

The gap between Brand and van der Heijden stayed consistent for three circuits, and at the beginning of the bell lap it was 13 seconds. Van Alphen put some daylight between her wheels and Schreiber’s. Schreiber dropped her chain in the final tarmac straight and had to run for fourth place.

There is a long recess in both the Superprestige and X2O series as the World Cup takes centre stage. The next round of the X2O Badkamers Trofee is December 22 in Hofstade.

2025-2026 X2O Badkamers Trofee, Round 3, Hamme
1) Lucinda Brand (The Netherlands/Baloise-Glowi Lions) 42:35
2) Inge van der Heijden (The Netherlands/Crelan-Corendon) +0:09
3) Aniek van Alphen (The Netherlands/Seven) +0:22