Exact Cross Mol: Lucinda Brand powers to victory in the sand

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Van Anrooij completes Baloise Trek Lions 1-2 with Verdonschot in third

Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions)
Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions) (Image credit: Getty Images)
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Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions) took her third cyclocross win of the season at the Exact Cross in Mol, powering away from teammate Shirin van Anrooij on the third lap and never looking back as she maintained her pace to secure victory. 

She adds this win to victories at the World Cups in Flamanville and Dublin and lived up to her billing as the favourite. Brand had enough time to punch the air past her pit crew as she completed her final lap 21 seconds ahead of her teammate.

“It was tough, but it felt good. I felt it was time to go. I thought I better just give it a try," said Brand of her attack ahead of Van Anrooij.

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"Shirin is good in the sand. When I entered the sand on the third lap I passed the bottom and when I turned at the bottom she was gone. I just tried it. Apparently, she had a bad lap, so you lose a lot of strength.”

Brand and Van Anrooij shot off the start line and immediately into a lead over Vanderschot, but as the laps went on and the two Ducthwomen traded first place, Brand was clearly the stronger. 

She moved away from Van Anrooij at the halfway point, with the 21-year-old who won last time out in Mol in 2022 dropping back to Vanderschot and even falling into third. 

Vanderschot and Cant are both Belgian and grew up racing on the sandy terrain, showing their specialised skills over each sandy section, but Van Anrooij would come out on top by the end of the sixth lap. 

The former World Champion may have started her CX schedule later than expected due to a shoulder injury sustained on the road at the end of the season but seems very much back to her best. 

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James Moultrie
James Moultrie
News Writer

James Moultrie is a gold-standard NCTJ journalist who joined Cyclingnews as a News Writer in 2023 after originally contributing as a freelancer for eight months, during which time he also wrote for Eurosport, Rouleur and Cycling Weekly. Prior to joining the team he reported on races such as Paris-Roubaix and the Giro d’Italia Donne for Eurosport and has interviewed some of the sport’s top riders in Chloé Dygert, Lizzie Deignan and Wout van Aert. Outside of cycling, he spends the majority of his time watching other sports – rugby, football, cricket, and American Football to name a few.

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