Brand was pushed all the way for victory as Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado finished second, 27 seconds behind, while Puck Pieterse completed a Netherlands podium sweep with third.
A four-time cyclo-cross World Championships silver medallist, Brand finally repeated her success from Oostende in 2021 following a dominant season.
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Pieterse and Alvarado both posed questions of their countrywoman in the early stages, before Brand showed her power to force a gap. The pressure resulted in Pieterse crashing heavily on a descent, only for Brand to crash herself as Alvarado pulled level.
However, Brand was not to be denied a second world title and had time to lift her bike in triumph at taking the victory. Alvarado was able to enjoy second, while Pieterse came out of a large group to clinch third.
The win was made even sweeter as Brand’s world championships build-up had been far from perfect after suffering a minor calf injury last weekend.
It was Brand’s 19th win of the season from 24 starts during an impressive campaign. Brand said the victory was made more special as her last cyclo-cross World Championship victory came when no spectators were allowed due to covid-19 restrictions in 2021.
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“It feels amazing,” said Brand. “It’s really good after such a great season to win on the most important day, some people call it.
“It’s fantastic in front of a home crowd. If it goes so well, you also dream to win this race of cause. I previously won the title already, the relief might be bigger if you didn’t have it yet.
“It’s fantastic to win it here in front of the crowd in my home country. What makes it way more special is that there were way more people to cheer me on instead of five people, staff (covd-19 restrictions).”
Dutch women sweep medals at 2026 UCI Cyclo-cross World Chammpionships in Hulst (Image credit: Shutterstock)
How it unfolded
The fortress city of Hulst, on the Dutch-Belgium border, provided a spectacular backdrop with the 3.3-kilometre course containing 150 metres of elevation gain, including steep climbs and descents to test riders’ technical abilities.
There was no defending champion on the start line as 23-year-old Fem Van Empel (Netherlands), winner of the last three rainbow jerseys, put her career on hold earlier this winter.
The orange jerseys of the Netherlands dominated the front row of the starting grid, a sign of their superiority in the elite women’s ranks.
Following back-to-back wins last weekend, Pieterse had the quickest start, ahead of fellow countrywomen Alvarado and Brand. Blanka Kata Vas (Hungary) was aware of the danger of a Dutch sweep and after a quick start slotted herself among the podium positions.
Pieterse was relentless in her early pace resulting in a group of six riders pulling clear of their opponents – including three Dutch women.
Amongst the early medal contention was mountain bike specialist Jolanda Neff (Switzerland), who was aiming for her first Cyclo-cross World Championship medal.
After finishing runner-up at Maasmechelen last weekend, Alvarado came into the event in fine form and maintained a high pace in the second lap.
Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado battled to second on Hulst course (Image credit: Shutterstock)
The relentless pace of Pieterse and Alvarado became too much for Neff who was gapped after losing time through a steep running section.
Despite looking on the back foot cyclo-cross World Cup overall winner Brand remained a presence as the front trio started to ride away. The pace of in-form Pieterse eventually told on her rivals as she pulled out several seconds on her rivals.
After sitting back and watching the early exchanges Brand responded by quickly pulling back Pieterse before running clear up a steep bank.
Under pressure the technically-gifted Pieterse crashed heavily on the slick surface at the bottom of a big descent and quickly lost 20 seconds after a bike change. The Dutch youngster fell back to a second group of Vas, Neff and Kristyna Zemanová (Czech Republic), resulting in a tense bronze medal battle.
Meanwhile, at the front Alvarado kept pressure on Brand, with a gap of just six seconds separating the Dutch competitors at the mid-race distance.
Further down the field pre-race podium favourite Sara Casasola (Italy) looked in severe pain as she pulled out.
The dramatic race continued and this time Brand went over the handlebars after losing her front wheel on a steep uphill section, resulting in Alvarado pulling level.
After an impressive season, Amandine Fouquenet (France) also pulled herself into the large group battling for bronze, and was another rider to crash on the slippery surface.
Heading into the penultimate lap Alvarado was putting pressure on her countrywoman Brand as the pair sat 31 seconds ahead of the chasing group.
Tensions were boiling over in the bronze medal group as Marion Norbert-Riberolle (Belgium) and Zemanová crashed into each other following a descent. The Belgian was less than impressed after her opponent’s inside move and pushed her after regaining her feet, resulting in a disqualification.
Brand was in a determined mood and a mistake by Alvarado going into the run-up climb resulted in the Lidl-Trek road rider forcing a small advantage.
Taking the last lap bell Brand had grown her lead to 10 seconds ahead of Alvarado, while the bronze battle remained a close one. The leader’s gap grew to 27 seconds on the final lap as Alvarado had no response to her experienced rival.
An exciting battle for bronze was eventually claimed by Pieterse, after she fought off Vas and Fouquenet in the final stages.
Ben raced as an amateur cyclist in the UK from a young age into the senior ranks on the road, track and in cyclocross. He has an NQJ qualification in journalism, and a sports journalism degree, and has spent over 10 years as a news and sports journalist. Ben has been covering cyclocross for media outlets, including Cyclingnews, since 2021 and has been on the ground reporting at World Championships in Zolder, Belvaux, Valkenberg, Dubendorf, and Hoogerheide. Away from cycling as a freelance sports journalist, Ben regularly reports on a range of sports including football, rugby, and snooker amongst others. However, he is happiest whilst reporting on-site at cyclocross races in Belgium and the Netherlands.
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