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

Lucinda Brand extended her astonishing run of results, winning the fifth race of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup in Antwerp on Saturday. The Baloise-Glowi Lions rider edged clear on the final lap, staying away to win her 11th race in 13 starts this season.

In what was a brilliant, gripping race on the shores of the Schelde River, Brand won a tight fight with Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Fenix-Deceuninck), who finished second. Aniek van Alphen (Seven Racing) started the day only one point ahead of Brand in the overall World Cup standings, but finished third, ceding the jersey to Brand.

The race was enthralling throughout, with groups coming together then falling apart under the pressure of aggressive racing. Only on the fourth of the six laps were Brand and Alvarado able to go clear, though their advantage was properly established late on the penultimate circuit.

Though Brand took the bell with a lead on Alvarado, a couple of mistakes saw the latter take over at the front, but Brand was slightly too strong, taking to the front late on and winning by two seconds, with Van Alphen 16 seconds down.

How it unfolded

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.

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.

Results

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