"I had to take advantage of it in some way" - Lucinda Brand seizes on rare weakness from Fem van Empel to take victory in Dublin

Lucinda Brand secured a first World Cup victory of the campaign this Sunday afternoon in Dublin. After having to settle for second behind Fem van Empel in Antwerp last week, the Dutch national champion dominated from the start in Ireland to get back to winning ways.

Coming to the front at the end of lap 2, Brand capitalised on her rival heading into the pits for repairs to really put the hammer down at the head of the race. Although Van Empel did threaten a comeback at one point, in the end, the victory went quite comfortably to the Dutch national champion of Baloise - Trek Lions.

"This is a big victory, which I am of course very happy with," Brand reflected post-race. "I felt very strong. In the first lap I was a bit stuck behind other riders, but I was able to move up quickly and then I noticed that I had good legs. It was still difficult, but then Fem got a flat tire. Not the prettiest way, but I had to take advantage of it in some way. She came back, but then she made a mistake. I think I was the stronger one at that moment."

"I felt strong in Antwerp. You could also see that the gap with Fem remained more or less the same. This time it was important not to lose any time at the beginning," Brand concluded. "I will also become the leader in the World Cup rankings. That's a nice bonus, but we'll see in January. There are still a lot of tough circuits coming up. It could also go the other way again."