Brilliant Lucinda Brand battles through broken nose to take Dutch National Championship title

For the third time in her career, Lucinda Brand has been crowned Dutch National Cyclocross Champion after an imperious performance in Hoogeveen.

Despite having a broken nose from her crash last weekend, it was Lucinda Brand who was making all the early moves. Behind Brand, it was only Puck Pieterse anywhere near, a handful of seconds behind after three laps.

After Pieterse slipped up on lap 4, with just two laps to go, Brand's lead was over 10 seconds and from there the Baloise - Trek Lions star was unstoppable. In the battle for third, Annemarie Worst held off the challenge of Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado to complete the podium.