X2O Trofee Hamme: Lucinda Brand takes third consecutive victory with a race long solo sortie

Lucinda Brand continued her remarkable streak of form on Sunday, winning the X2O Badkamers Trofee Flandriencross with a race long solo move.

Getting away from the gun, the Baloise-Glowi Lions rider built a lead which remained around the 12 second mark throughout the race, with European champion Inge van der Heijden (Crelan-Corendon) unable to close the gap.

Van der Heijden eventually finished second, nine seconds back, while Aniek van Alphen (Seven Racing) won the entertaining battle for third place, beating Marie Schreiber (SD Worx-Protime) who dropped her chain in the finish straight.

The race was the third round of the X2O Badkamers Trofee, which is decided on cumulative time, and, having won the previous two races, Brand has extended her lead to over four minutes ahead of Van der Heijden.

Brand’s win was the rider’s third consecutive victory in all competitions, coming the day after she won the Aardbeiencross on Saturday. Not only is the victory her seventh from nine starts this year, it also marks her 50th consecutive podium finish. The last time she was not in a race top three was January 2024, when she was fourth at the Benidorm World Cup race.

How it unfolded

The Rectavit Flandriencross in Hamme, round three of the X2O Badkamers Trofee was held on a muddy, undulating and challenging course, just west of the Belgian city of Antwerp.

Not normally known for lightning starts, Lucinda Brand (Baloise-Glowi Lions) got away from the gun, quickly building a lead which was out to 11 seconds at the end of the first lap. However, as she made some mistakes on the second circuit, it seemed European champion Inge van der Heijden (Crelan-Corendon) might threaten to disrupt what had initially seemed a foregone conclusion.

However, Brand realised the threat, opening the taps on the third lap to reestablish her advantage, crossing the line at the end of lap four with a lead of 15 seconds.

Behind them, Aniek van Alphen (Seven Racing) and Marie Schreiber (SD Worx-Protime) had their own battle for third place, the pair edging away from the chasing groups. The Luxembourg champion, Schreiber, seemed the strongest though her Dutch rival was smoother in the challenging conditions.

The pair exchanged blows throughout the race, Schreiber edging ahead on the power sections, Van Alphen creating gaps in the technical parts.

At the front of the race Brand seemed undiminished, taking a 13 second lead into the final lap and only slowing at the end to raise her arms in victory.

Results

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