Brand continues dominance in Superprestige Zolder

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World Champion Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions) won her 12th race of the season at the Telenet Superprestige in Heusden-Zolder, topping Fem van Empel (Bingoal Pauwels Sauzen) in a thrilling two-woman battle. Annemarie Worst (777) took the final podium spot.

Brand has hardly put a foot wrong all season, winning her first race at the Superprestige in Gieten and taking out 10 of the last 12 races, only being beaten in Rucphen by Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma), who did not start today, and in Koksijde where she took third behind Worst and Denise Betsema (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal).

The race in Zolder was a quiet affair, with no spectators allowed amid surging cases of COVID-19 thanks to the omicron variant, and although there was a light drizzle the course was far less muddy than the previous day's race in Dendermonde.

An enormous field started, with 100 riders on the line, many junior and U23 women honing their form ahead of next month's World Championships in Fayetteville.

Ceylin Carmen del Alvarado (Alpecin-Fenix) took the hole shot off the F1 track and onto the grass but was soon overtaken by Kata Blanka Vas (SD Worx) and Brand, and tracked closely by Yara Kastelijn (Iko-Crelan), Van Empel, Betsema and Worst.

A crash from Kastelijn split the group, with the Iko-Crelan rider forced back into a chasing group that briefly made contact but then dropped again when Vas surged on the second lap.

Alvarado was the first to drop out of the leading group at the end of lap 2 but caught back up on the third lap with a few more riders including Inge van der Heijden (777), Shirin van Anrooij (Baloise Trek Lions) and Manon Bakker (Iko-Crelan).

A powerful surge from Brand drew Van Empel out by the end of the third lap and the pair kept the pressure on, opening up an unassailable gap to the chasers.

Brand attacked but slid out on a descent on the penultimate lap but Van Empel did not take advantage of the mistake, instead appearing to wait for the world champion - much to her demise, however, as Brand showed no mercy.

The Baloise Trek rider claimed the lead on the final dip down to the track and Van Empel could make up no ground on the short dash to the line and, as Brand celebrated, Van Empel hung her head in frustration. Off camera, Worst prevailed in the battle for the final podium spot.