"My start was super good" - Lucinda Brand an impressive second in return to action following injury
Cyclocross
In her first Cyclocross race of the campaign, Lucinda Brand showed little signs of rustiness. The 34-year-old Dutchwoman returned to action by taking a very respectable second-placed finish on Sunday afternoon in Dendermonde.
“I'd have signed up for this right before the start,” the Baloise Trek Lions star said afterwards in her post-race interview. “Although I only thought about second place halfway through the race. My start was super good, but I found myself quite disappointed.”
Cyclocross World Champion back in 2021, Brand has had a long fight back from injury but immediately flew out the blocks on her UCI World Cup return. “It was difficult to get into my rhythm," she assesses. "At first I thought for a moment: oh, I might be slowly dying. However, I was able to maintain a good pace afterwards. After my start, I took it easy for the difficult sections.”
“It was really a super tough match. I didn't know beforehand exactly where I would be. So my start was good, but actually a bit too good,” Brand concludes, after finish nearly a minute behind Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado. “I then caught my breath for a moment, but that is also part of the first race back. However, I managed to keep it going.”
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 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- 'Children these days'... Wout, since the caveman learned to say "Ug", older generations have always said this about younger generations. Not every young rider is a cowboy. So what's to say that the fact that Poels was respectful meant that his peers were equally so?
Rafionain-Glas19-10-2026 - "...In a weakened field" Most definitely ! YAWN !frieders319-10-2026
- Noted. But I had to appease his fans.MajorPayne19-10-2026
- I wonder if he'll race Challenge MallorcaRafionain-Glas19-10-2026
- Head to head time-splits: Jay Vine vs Remco Evenepoel: 10.5 km - Vine lost 45 seconds to Evenepoel 34.2 km - Vine lost a further 1:10, and was caught in the vicinity of that checkpoint. Note: I remember Vine getting caught before the second checkpoint, and ProCyclingStats log supports that, however, the gap at the second checkpoint was less than 2 minutes. 45.4 km - Vine lost only 16 seconds Of course, Vine lost less time in the middle section than the early section, but at the final segment rate, he'd have lost 15 seconds in the opening section and and 34 seconds in the middle. It is possible that Vine paced himself very well but that seems unlikely. In comparison with Stefan Küng: Kung lost: 26 seconds at T1. A further 1:11 by T2. A further 40 seconds by the finish. Relative to Evenepoel, Küng did slow down by the end. Maxime Decomble: Lost 47 seconds at T1. A further 1:20 by T2. A further 26 seconds by the finish. Mikkel Bjerg: Lost 37 seconds at T1. A further 1:34 by T2. A further 46 seconds by the finish. It is not concrete evidence that Vine cheated though it certainly doesn't absolve him. However, watching the race, I am 100% sure that Vine did not pull over and follow a different line when Remco passed him. Remco pulled away quite quickly, but the gap did not balloon and Vine definitely got aero assistance.Rafionain-Glas19-10-2026
- That ship has sailed years agovappaxbipmv19-10-2026
- He doesn't have to. I'd be perfectly happy if he loses SB if he then wins everything elsevappaxbipmv19-10-2026
- Please don't put Remco in the same sentence as Tadej. It's disrespectful to Tadej. Please make a note of this.KissinKate19-10-2026
- ....and you just described how americans are fleecing american fans as well. We don't even get the eurosport coverage you get. What you see on yurrup HBO is not available in this country. Trust me, being a cycling fan sucks everywhere.KissinKate19-10-2026
- While media outlets point to the loss of Richard Carapaz, Kasper Asgreen, and rising talents like Steinhauser as a sign of trouble, this is actually classic EF Pro Cycling tactical pivot at play. Operating on less than half the budget of state-backed super-teams, Jonathan Vaughters smartly maximized Carapaz’s return on investment by turning high salary and health setbacks into Tour stage wins, Yellow, and the Polka Dot jersey, before freeing up vital capital when his valuation peaked. Let us be completely honest here: Carapaz’s departure to NSN is strictly about securing one final massive payday before calling time on his career, rather than building a lasting sporting legacy. EF built a squad around him and gave him tactical freedom that few teams would offer, but given his ongoing health concerns and age, keeping him at that price point represented an unsustainable risk. It is very unlikely he will match the freedom or success he enjoyed at EF with his new team, making this move a pure business decision for a veteran rider cashing in on his remaining value. In contrast, while signing Tao Geoghegan Hart carries its own physical risk, it comes at a vastly different financial scale that protects EF's bottom line while offering immense upside. Replacing that climbing depth won't happen overnight, but bringing in Tao fits EF’s proven reclamation playbook perfectly by providing a low-pressure, culture-first environment for a proven Grand Tour winner to find his magic legs again. Backed by a secured core in Ben Healy, Neilson Powless, and Sean Quinn through 2029, EF isn't crumbling; they are simply resetting their wage structure, staying nimble, and betting on high-ceiling upside where richer teams only see risk.wambo19-10-2026
Loading
🥇 Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado earns her third win of the season in Dendermonde! Lucinda Brand takes second while British champion Zoe Backstedt completes the podium in third 🥈🥉 #CXWorldCup | @UCI_CX
Write a comment