Lucinda Brand gambled everything on Alvarado's "mistake" to raise hands in Diegem: "I had to take the risk to finish the race on this bike"
Cyclocross
The most consistent female cyclocrosser of this season, Lucinda Brand finally got to celebrate another triumph in the night Diegem Cross. It's not the 35-year-old's first win of the 2024/25 season, but it's taken almost a full month to raise her hands again since the Dublin World Cup.
It's an insane stat-line for Brand who finished on podium in every single one of her 20 cyclocross starts this winter. But only fourth victory for the Baloise - Trek Lions leader: "This feels really good. That's what you start for after all," she said afterwards in the flash interview. "It was really difficult. Ceylin is really good at getting stuck in. She is always able to save energy in certain passages and make up time."
"I did feel that I was a bit better, but then you still have to try to get away from her," Brand continues, who managed to ride away from her compatriot in the penultimate lap. "At one point, Ceylin changed bikes and I thought: I have to take the risk now to finish the race on this bike. To try to create a gap, that might be just big enough that she can’t come back. And then she cracked."
Brand then managed to solo to victory quite easily, although it was certainly not a walk on the beach. In particular the passages in the sandbox did not let the Dutch champion enjoy the race too much. "That was a very difficult passage. You can drag yourself through it, but the question is whether that is faster than walking. They may not have been my best sand passages, but it worked."
Brand not only booked a nice victory in the evening cross of Diegem, she is also doing well with a view to the final victory in the Superprestige. She sees her deficit to Alvarado shrink to one point, and that with two more rounds to go. "It is a classification where you take small steps. It remains exciting," concludes the winner of the last big cross of year 2024.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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