“I had the momentum. I went straight away” – Lucinda Brand’s incredible run of consecutive podiums reaches 52 with dominant win at World Cup Terralba
Cyclocross
Lucinda Brand extended one of the most remarkable streaks in modern cyclocross as she claimed her ninth victory of the season — and her 52nd consecutive podium — with a commanding solo performance at the World Cup round in Terralba.
The Dutch former world champion rode away from the field as early as lap two, eventually crossing the line in tears after one of the most emotional wins of her season.
Brand’s early acceleration set the tone
Brand’s race-defining move came almost immediately. After forming an initial lead group with Aniek van Alphen, Shirin van Anrooij, Sara Casasola and others, she surged clear through a muddy sector that broke the race open. “There were some difficult sectors and Aniek was held up a bit, which made me feel like I had the momentum,” Brand explained. “I went straight away and wanted to see where that would take me.”
From there, she never looked back. By the end of the second lap, Brand felt the race had simplified into a head-to-head — and the time gaps only widened. “At the start it felt like quite a challenge, but by the end of the second lap it was one-on-one,” she said, after ultimately winning with twenty seconds over Van Alphen and thirty-three over Van Anrooij.
Read also
Van Alphen defends World Cup lead, Van Anrooij returns to form
While Brand powered clear, the race behind featured a fiercely contested duel for the remaining podium places. Van Alphen — racing in the leader’s jersey — fended off Van Anrooij’s repeated accelerations before finally securing second place, extending her advantage in the overall standings.
Van Anrooij, riding just her third race of the winter after last season’s injury-hit campaign, produced her strongest performance of the year so far to take third — her first cyclocross podium since 2023.
Brand acknowledged the psychological impact of having a team-mate present in the chase group: “Shirin was there as a team-mate as well, and that automatically makes the morale of your opponents drop a little.”
An emotional milestone
Crossing the line in tears, Brand celebrated not only her Terralba triumph but also the continuation of an astonishing consistency streak. With nine wins and two runner-up finishes already this season, her form appears sharper than ever following her recent training camp — and Sunday’s emotional reaction made clear how much this victory meant.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
claps 3visitors 3
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- wtf dudemij07-11-2026
- big rival … ridiculous.Ketterechts07-11-2026
- It would be great if the World Champion's jersey could be rotated among McNulty, Simmons, and Jorgenson. They threaded the needle perfectly. If each hadn't done exactly what he did, exactly when he did it, the race would have gone to one of the more heralded superstars. That said, how nice that this humble and hardworking guy gets his moment in the sun.
MarkFour07-11-2026 - This is a really interesting idea, which, if well prepared could even be very successful. Very little money needs to be involved for a first season and any success could lead to rapid interest from sponsors.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Hmmm, you seem to have a very convenient black and white view of things. Perhaps you haven’t been around much to discover how complex problems can become over time with people who know how to control, manipulate (or worse) others so gradually or subtly that you arrive at an irresolvable situation before you realise. This is how many inconveniences get introduced to the young, naïve, passionate or “desperate”, knowing they are not armed, protected or strong enough to defend themselves once it’s too late. Why do you think omerta culture is so widespread, why do you think so many people continue to go through so many awful things in life that others can’t understand anyone getting into? Life may be far more jolly for you but you would do well to understand (or reflect more on) the real world to refrain from being so quick to criticise those in a hard spot that may have genuine reason for speaking out.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Seriously do you think when somebody gets into a serious accident, the ambulance is called by the hurt person?🤦 there is always a buddy system in place for a risky job. police , firefighters etc so that if someone gets hurt, the other call that in.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
Loading
HISTORY MAKER 👏 Lucinda Brand wins in Terralba to extend her podium run to an unprecedented 52-race streak! 😮
Write a comment