Lucinda Brand (Baloise-Glowi Lions) showed extreme emotion on Sunday as she crossed the finish line solo in Terralba, Sardinia for her second consecutive Cyclo-cross World Cup victory of the season.
The victory for Brand pushed her to new heights, as she extended her podium streak to 52 races, going back to January 21, 2024 when she finished fourth at the World Cup in Benidorm. Last season she found the podium in all 33 races, 11 times for wins. The previous record of 51 weeks with consecutive race podiums was held by Marianne Vos.
On Sunday, the tears mixing with the mud on her race were not because of her new record, but to honour her mother.
"This win was for you, mom," Brand stated simply on her Instagram feed, who was seen blowing a kiss in the air as she crossed the finish line.
Brand's mother, Aafje, suffered a stroke in 2003, which left her partially paralyzed. Lucinda Brand has been one of her mother's caregivers, with Het Nieuwsblad disclosing in an interview last month with Brand's father, Fred, that it was because of the pro cyclist's personal experience with her mother that led her to studying for a second career.
"I insisted she get a diploma so she had something to fall back on. Lucinda has a degree in physical education, which allows her to guide people through rehabilitation," Fred Brand told Het Nieuwsblad about his daughter taking a "serious path" when she began racing in the Netherlands as an under-23 rider.
After her victory on Sunday, Brand had short comments for the broadcast cameras, saying, "I'm having some personal issues at home. That's why. The situation is far from ideal." The health status of her mother was not disclosed.
Brand has been dominant on the 'cross field since her road season with Lidl-Trek concluded in September, landing on the podium in all 11 cyclocross races she's started to date, nine times on the top step with victories. In her career at the sport's highest level, Brand has been on the elite women's podium at the UCI Cyclocross World Championships eight out of the last nine years, taking the silver medal the last two years.
On her second of three World Cup starts, the 36-year-old attacked from a front group of four riders on the second lap and gradually extended her lead across the next four circuits to win 20 seconds ahead of Aniek van Alphen (Seven Racing), who maintained a slim lead over her Dutch rival in the World cup series standings. Shirin van Anrooij joined her Baloise-Glowi Lions teammate on the podium with a third-place finish.
Brand is two-for-two in World Cup appearances which were held in Czechia and Italy, skipping the Flamanville round. Van Alphen has finished all three World Cups to date, with the victory at Flamanville.
