Lucinda Brand powers to victory in Superprestige Diegem women's race

Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek) powered to victory in the nighttime Superprestige round in Diegem on Monday, surging away from Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado on the penultimate lap.

Charging through lapped riders, Brand never looked back on the final trip around the artificially lit circuit. Alvarado finished second while Inge van der Heijden (Crelan-Corendon) overcame a late mechanical to hold onto the final podium spot.

Alvarado held onto the lead in the Superprestige standings by a single point over Brand.

It's Brand's first win since the Dublin World Cup, after eight podium finishes she was pleased to finally get the better of her rivals.

"It means a lot - every race I'm aiming to win but many times they know how to beat me," Brand said. "Today I felt really strong and I'm very happy I could take the win." 

Leonie Bentveld (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) got hole shot as a crash took down a group of backmarkers in the nearly 100-rider field. Before the end of the first lap, Brand, French champion Hélène Clauzel, Alvarado and Bentveld had a small gap.

They were joined by Inge van der Heijden (Crelan-Corendon) as Belgian champion Sanne Cant led another group of chasers including Anna Kay, who made an impressive pass in the off-camber section, riding past dozens of riders who took a less optimal line.

Before the end of the second lap, Alvarado and Van der Heijden established a gap, and Brand scrambled across, leaving Bentveld and Cant chasing as a light rain began to fall, making the already cold weather more brutal.

Van der Heijden, so strong in the sand, lost touch with Brand and Alvarado and was five seconds behind at the end of the third lap but she persisted and caught back up to the leaders for a moment on the next lap.

An attack by Alvarado sent Van der Heijden out the back again and put Brand into difficulty with three laps to go, but the Dutch champion held strong and then launched an attack of her own with two to go.

This time, Alvarado was the one put into the hurt box and she couldn't chase down her compatriot.

Van der Heijden, stopped on the course to fix a jammed chain, recovered in time to take third, while Bentveld finished fourth.

An emotional Cant waved to the crowd who sent up a huge cheer for the retiring rider while finishing in fifth.

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