Lucinda Brand dominates gruelling mudfest to win Dendermonde World Cup solo

Lucinda Brand (Baloise Glowi Lions) triumphed solo in brutally tough muddy and wet conditions at the Dendermonde World Cup for her seventh win of the cyclocross season, extending her lead in the overall series at the same time.

Former world champion Brand took an early lead on the opening lap and only ceded it momentarily to Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) on lap 2, before gradually chasing her down and riding solo to the finish after 55 minutes of dominance.

Pieterse held on to second despite suffering two untimely flat tyres partway through the race, with the current world champion Fem van Empel (Visma-Lease a Bike) fighting back after a slow start to take third place at the line. 

Brand, who donned the jersey of the World Cup leader in the mud, entered the day with a huge 46-point lead from Van Empel but will now head into the final three rounds with a 61-point advantage thanks to her second World Cup win of the 2024-25 season. 

"It feels really good to win, but also I think it's the first time I thought 'oh another lap, really?'" said Brand post-race.

"At the end of the second last lap, my gap increased so I knew I just had to focus on the very tough parts, to keep enough speed there, and then I was secure."

The riders knew what was in store as the rain continued to fall on the muddy field that awaited them in Dendermonde, with Van Empel getting the best start alongside Leonie Bentveld (Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel Clementines) and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Fenix-Deceuninck).

Quickly, however, Brand came to the front proving why she's in the World Cup leader's jersey. She immediately found a lead and showed off her power in the heavy mud. 

Pieterse and Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon-SRAM) were the next best in the brutal conditions, with the former moving into second and hanging onto Brand's wheel best in the early stages. 

The second lap saw Pieterse take the lead after Brand headed into the pits for a new bike and made a small error when she got her front wheel stuck and had to dismount over her handlebars, thankfully onto her feet. 

With Pieterse knowing that Brand's diesel engine would see her finish quickest, she tried to build a big enough lead to hold off any late charge. However, the current Dutch champion was soon back on her wheel by the end of lap 3.

Bäckstedt stayed close in the chase, with Van Empel joining up after her slower-than-normal start and Manon Bakker (Crelan-Corendon) also putting in a strong ride to make it a trio. 

Pieterse lost ground to Brand due to an untimely flat tyre but as the Dutch champion accelerated through the pits and away from her compatriot, it was clear who the strongest rider was.

At the end of lap 4, Pieterse was only 15 seconds behind, but this extended by the end of lap 5 to 27 seconds and was even larger at the end of the race at 30 seconds. She looked in danger of losing third to Van Empel until she too suffered a flat and had to settle for third.

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