Lucinda Brand (Sunweb) powered her way to another cyclo-cross victory this season, this time winning a four-up sprint ahead of world champion Sanne Cant and Denise Betsema at the DVV trophy series' Azencross in Leonhout on Friday. Laura Verdonschot finished fourth.
Brand is the Dutch national champion and she has had a strong season after claiming two World Cup rounds in Namur and Tabor, while also securing a win at Vlaamse Druivencross.
In Leonhout, she had a slower start but eventually caught up to a lead group that eventually included Cant, Betsema and Verdonschot, along with Katie Compton, Ellen Van Loy, Loel Sels, Nikki Brammeier and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado.
Brand kept the speeds high enough to cause some separations in the group, but could not completely rid Cant, Betsema and Verdonschot. The four riders raced to the finish line in a sprint with Brand claiming the victory.
"During the last laps I kept the pace high and it was important not to start too early for the sprint: 20 years after Van den Brand ... I can also win here, it's nice, I also started here for the first time in an international cyclo-cross [race], now I'm on that honors list," said Brand, referring to Dutch rider Daphny Van den Brand, who won the race in 1998.
Full Results
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#
Rider Name (Country) Team
Result
1
Lucinda Brand (Ned)
0:40:02
2
Sanne Cant (Bel) Corendon - Circus
0:00:01
3
Denise Betsema (Ned) Marlux - Bingoal
Row 2 - Cell 2
4
Laura Verdonschot (Bel) Marlux - Bingoal
Row 3 - Cell 2
5
Loes Sels (Bel) Pauwels Sauzen - Vastgoedservice
0:00:12
6
Nikki Brammeier (GBr)
0:00:22
7
Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Ned) Corendon - Circus
