Noordzeecross Middelkerke winner Inge van der Heijden reacts to victory over Lucinda Brand: "I had to fight hard for this"

It was a remarkable day for the 25-year-old Dutch rider Inge van der Heijden as she triumphed in the final race of the Superprestige season, the Noordzeecross Middelkerke. She secured victory ahead of former world champion Lucinda Brand, who suffered a fall on the first lap and came agonisingly close to recovering for the win. However, Van der Heijden managed to hold her ground.

Van der Heijden previously claimed the World Under-23 title in 2019 in Bogense.

“I had to fight hard for this,” Van der Heijden said after the Noordzeecross to Het Nieuwsblad. “In the first laps we really pushed hard because Brand wasn’t at the front. I heard someone crash behind me and I was glad I wasn’t involved.”

Riding for Fenix-Deceuninck, she seized the opportunity when Brand was out of contention early on.

"It quickly became clear that Lucinda was not with us. You shouldn't hesitate then. Together with my teammate Sara Casasola we really picked up the pace. Especially in the last lap Lucinda came up dangerously, but I still made it", she smiles. "But I was out of my depth at the end."

After 25 podium finishes, this marked her first major victory, and you could see the joy on her face as she crossed the finish line as a winner.

This season in the Superprestige series, she secured third place in Mol and Diegem and finished fourth at the World Championships last weekend in a race won by Fem van Empel. Additionally, she has achieved top-five finishes in three World Cup races this year.

“Things have been going really well in recent weeks, only that one highlight was missing. That came today. Everything fell into place. I will now complete a few more races, but I also want to enjoy this victory a little.”

This milestone in her career serves as a crucial step forward as she aims to carry this momentum into the 2025 road season and the upcoming 2025/2026 cyclocross campaign.