Lucinda Brand further stated her claim as the world's best cyclocross rider, winning the third round of the World Cup in Terralba, Sardinia on Sunday.
The race was her ninth victory from 11 starts this season and further extends her run of consecutive cyclocross podium finishes to a record-breaking 52.
The Baloise-Glowi Lions rider attacked a group on the second of the six Italian laps, gradually extending her lead each circuit, making especially good use of the sand sections. In the end, she almost cruised across the line, winning 20 seconds ahead of Aniek van Alphen (Seven Racing), with Brand's team mate, Shirin van Anrooij, third, a further 13 seconds down.
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The result was an excellent one for Van Anrooij, who was riding only her third cyclocross race in two years after a succession of injury issues. Since returning only two weeks ago, the 23-year-old has progressed brilliantly, finishing 16th in her first outing and sixth in Flamanville last week.
Having finished fifth in the opening round and won the second World Cup race, Van Alphen continues to lead to overall classification.
How it unfolded
Starting on the Sardinian coast, the World Cup's trip to Italy took place on a mixture of surfaces, with sand, mud, grass and some deep puddles all featuring. Off the line Julie Brouwers (Charles Liégois Roastery) got the hole shot, but was soon shuffled backwards, with World Cup overall leader, Aniek van Alphen (Seven Racing) taking the lead.
Less than halfway through the first 3.2km course Lucinda Brand (Baloise-Glowi Lions) took over at the front, a group of four forming as they crossed the line, with Leonie Bentveld (Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw) and Sara Casasola (Crelan-Corendon) also present.
That group swelled on the second lap, though the race lost Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Fenix-Deceuninck), the former World Champion, withdrawing from only her second race since a persistent knee injury. As the Dutchwoman headed off the course, her compatriot, Brand, made a move off the front, getting a gap on one of the sand sections and finishing the lap nine seconds ahead of team mate Shirin van Anrooij, Van Alphen and Casasola.
As the third of the six laps progressed, Brand consolidated her place at the front of the race, increasing her advantage to 17 seconds over Van Alphen, with Van Anrooij alone, a further three seconds back. With two laps to go, that gap was more than 30 seconds, with Van Anrooij and Van Alphen by then battling for the second step on the podium.
Though the duo's deficit was reduced when they took the bell with one lap to go, Brand would not be caught, and they were left to fight it out between them. Eventually several small digs made the difference, Van Alphen gapping Van Anrooij late on.
Results
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