“I just kept piling up the mistakes” – Lucinda Brand reflects on painful Zonhoven defeat as 13-race winning streak ends

The end of a winning run rarely arrives without warning in Zonhoven, and for Lucinda Brand, it came through a sequence of small errors on a course that offered no forgiveness. After 13 consecutive victories, the former world champion was finally beaten in the World Cup sand, with consistency proving more valuable than raw control on a treacherous afternoon.

Brand was quick to acknowledge the performance of Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, who emerged strongest from a crash-marred contest that repeatedly reset itself.

“Ceylin rode a really strong race and made hardly any mistakes,” Brand said in post-race comments collected by Sporza afterwards. “After the first crash I was glad I got back into my rhythm, because that one really hurt, but after that I just kept piling up the mistakes.”

Those mistakes proved decisive on a circuit where momentum shifted constantly and recovery was limited. Brand remained in contention deep into the race and briefly looked capable of regaining control, but another slip in the closing lap ended any remaining chance of overturning the deficit.

That final error left Brand with too little time to respond. “After that mistake in the last lap, there was simply too little time to come back,” she explained. The disappointment was heightened by how much the Zonhoven round meant to her personally. “Of all the races, this was one I really wanted to win, so then it hurts a bit more.”

Despite the frustration, Brand framed the result with perspective shaped by experience at the top of the sport. Ending a run of 13 straight victories had always been inevitable, even if the timing stung. “You always know that the day you do not win is getting closer,” she said.

On a day defined by crashes, errors and constant pressure, Brand’s reaction captured both the brutality of Zonhoven and the fine margins that finally brought a remarkable winning streak to an end.