UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup Antwerp: Lucinda Brand comes out on top after an enthralling battle in the sand in Antwerp

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.

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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.

Halfway around that second lap, the race came back together, Shirin van Anrooij taking to the front while her teammate, Brand, slipped backwards. Dutch Champion, Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) was also there, putting the pressure on and, at the end of lap two, she led by seconds from her teammate, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, with the Baloise pair of Brand and Van Anrooij closing on her wheel, though the race still refused to settle, with plenty of other riders still in contention.

The third of the six laps brought more action, Pieterse, Alvarado, and Brand getting a good gap and leading across the line, six seconds ahead of Van Alphen, who had recovered from her earlier travails. However, Brand ran clear on one of the sand sections, taking Alvarado with her, the pair gaining a significant advantage, heading into the penultimate circuit leading by 10 seconds.

Stranded on the front, Alvarado seemed unwilling to keep the pressure on and the leaders’ advantage was eroded, Van Alphen leading a small group to within touching distance. However, as the lap progressed, Brand tightened the screw, gapping the chasers, opening the smallest of gaps on Alvarado and setting the race up for a battling final.