Lucinda Brand fights the pain to win Dutch elite women's cyclocross title

Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions) overcame the pain of a recent broken nose to dominant the Dutch national championships. 

Brand won the national tile for a third time in her distinguished career, soon distancing Puck Pieterse on the muddy course. 

Annemarie Worst caught and passed Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado to take the bronze model. at 1:55, with Alvarado followed fourth at 2:20.  

Brand’s third title came after success in 2018 in Surhuisterveen and 2019 in Huijbergen. She has carefully built her form and appears on track for the World Championships in Tabor on February 3.   

The course in Hoogeveen, in the northern part of the Netherlands, was expected to be fast but heavy rain turned into a mud bath and battle of power, running ability and bike skills.  

Pieterse started fast and so put pressure on Brand and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado but Brand soon closed the gap. Alvarado lacked the same speed due to her recent back problems and so the race quickly became a two-rider battle. Alvarado and Worst were already 20 seconds behind after the opening lap. 

Brand could have waited for the final part of the race but trusted her form and attacked Pieterse on lap two, gradually gaining seconds and distancing the defending national champion.

With two laps to race Brand led Pieterse by ten seconds, with Worst at over a minute.  

There was no way back for Pieterse, despite the wind adding to the mud to make for a hard 45-minute race. 

At the line Brand won by 45 seconds. Pieterse secured the silver medal, with Worst taking the bronze after distancing Alvaredo. 

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