Tour de Suisse Women winner Lucinda Brand: "I will definitely come back here to defend my title"

Lucinda Brand won the last stage of the Tour de Suisse in a dramatic finish between her and GC leader Kristen Faulkner, earning her a strong title and another big addition to her palmarès.

Brand moved away from Neff on the last hill and began riding alone in the final five kilometers. For a brief period, the Dutch rider seemed to be on her way to victory, but Faulkner was not going down without a fight. "When Kristen started riding and the gap decreased really fast, I was pretty sure she was going to come back, After that, I tried not to get lost. I knew how technical the finish was and that I would have a huge advantage there," Brand said.

The American rider sprinted, and the two of them raced the last kilometer together. However, Faulkner crashed while turning 200 meters before the finish, This gave Lucinda Brand the time to clinch the stage win and overall title with a 17-second gap over the American.

"I had to hang on until we got here and fortunately it worked out well. I am very happy, but also very tired. It's great to win and overall. We had to work hard for it. It's really great that I could finish it. I think it's a beautiful round. We started with a short stage and ended with a very tough stage. It was a bit of everything. I think they should make the Tour longer. If I get the chance, I will definitely come back here to defend my title," she concluded.