"I made some small mistakes but it was very tough to beat her" - Lucinda Brand settles for second behind Fem van Empel in Antwerp

Lucinda Brand continued her impressive winter with a second-placed finish at the latest round of UCI World Cup action in Antwerp on Saturday afternoon.

Despite world champion, Fem van Empel taking her 11th straight win, Brand is left with a tinge of regret at how she was dropped by her compatriot. “Maybe I could have stayed with Fem a little longer,” Brand reflects in her post-race interview. "I made some small mistakes but it was very tough to beat her."

Analyzing in a bit more detail, Brand believes van Empel's impressive work on the beams was the key, deciding factor between the pair. "Jumping over the beams was very decisive here. It was then very short to the finish. It was still a tough part, but we were about the same strength. If you have a small gap, you can keep it,” she explains.

"There is still some work to be done. Today you see how important it is (to jump over beams ed.) and it will only become more so," she concludes. "That will be an important part for the near future. I think we rode around just as fast today, but she just had a small gap. The bars made the difference today.”