Lucinda Brand (Baloise Glowi Lions) powered to her sixth win of the 2024-25 cyclocross season at the Superprestige Gullegem after perfectly pacing her way to the front on the final lap and winning solo by leaving Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Fenix-Deceuninck) behind.
Alvarado led for many of the first four laps in a trio alongside Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon-SRAM) and Leonie Bentveld (Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel Clementines), until Brand fought from 10 seconds down and hit the front as the bell rang for the final lap.
The Dutch champion quickly made Bentveld and Bäckstedt struggle as she upped the pace, with Alvarado momentarily able to hold on. However, her resolve was eventually broken by Brand's diesel engine and she dropped back to fight out second place with Bäckstedt.
Alvarado was passed by the Brit on one of the running sections of the course before launching her sprint better initially. But Bäckstedt responded in the run for the line and narrowly pipped the Dutch rider with a bike throw at the line.
After Alvarado started the day leading the women's elite Superprestige series by one point over Brand, the situation was flipped at the end of the day due to Bäckstedt coming second, with Brand jumping to first, just one point ahead of her compatriot.
"During the second lap, I was feeling really good. In the third, I was struggling but I stayed calm and I kept trying to find my own lines, then suddenly it just turned around. In the last lap, I just went full gas and I didn't have anything else to give," said Brand after her victory.
After a tough day in the mud and sand of Gullegem with lots of running, Brand already had her eyes on Sunday's World Cup in Dendermonde, which is another running-heavy course.
"Now I'll quickly try and recover for tomorrow," she said. "We have at least practised running well here. That will probably be useful again tomorrow."
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