Brand and van der Heijden react to World Cup start in Tabor - "It just keeps getting crazier"

The Cyclocross is for many the most important cup of the season and it began today in the Czech Republic after two months of smaller races; the Superprestige Cup and the X2O Badkamers. Lucinda Brand took the victory in the opening round and has reacted to another top result alongside European Champion Inge van der Heijden.

"It just keeps getting crazier. It was difficult to make a difference and there was a lot of sliding," Brand said in a post-race interview. "We were very evenly matched uphill, so it was difficult to break away. That makes for a tactical race. I knew where to put pressure on the last lap."

Brand was stuck with the duo of Crelan riders in Sara Casasola and Inge van der Heijden which made for a difficult situation in which she could be outnumbered. But the route didn't provide many opportunities for that, and the Dutchwoman protected herself well from the attempts of both riders. In the final lap she had drawn clear from van der Heijden, and then her pace was high enough to hold off Casasola.

It was an attack in a specific zone right in the finale of the lap which saw her create the winning gap. "That was a lesson I learned from our teammate [David Haverdings] who had won earlier in the day. I tried to do the same, and I quickly heard that I had created a gap. After a few corners, I saw it too. That was really great, because when you ride to the finish with Sara [Casasola] on your wheel, you can easily get beaten," she explains.

Van der Heijden's third place however is a strong result and she is very much within the World Cup win fight after this one, specially in the absence of big figures such as Fem van Empel, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado and Puck Pieterse.

"I always come for the win, but I can be very happy with third place. In the first two laps, I almost crashed on the icy surface and lost my confidence in the corners and descents," she explained.

Ultimately she couldn't complain about only being beaten by two of the world's best. "I had plenty of time to close the gap on the uphills; I might have been the best there, but I lost it on the descents and corners. That's why I can be happy with this podium finish."