"No reason to panic": Lucinda Brand eyes history in Hoogerheide after 63-race podium streak comes to an end

For the first time in two years, Lucinda Brand has finished a cyclo-cross race off the podium. The dominant force of the 2025-2026 season, who had already secured the overall World Cup title, crossed the line in 10th place at the penultimate round in Maasmechelen. The result brings an end to a remarkable run of 63 consecutive top-three finishes, a streak that dates back to the Benidorm World Cup in 2024.

The 36-year-old Baloise Glowi Lions rider has been untouchable for much of the winter, claiming 18 victories from 23 starts. However, on the fast and technical Limburg course, Brand was never truly in contention for the win.

After a difficult start and several uncharacteristic errors on the twisting circuit, Brand found herself chasing. Although she briefly fought back into contention for fifth place, she eased off on the final lap once the podium was out of reach, eventually finishing in tenth place 56 seconds down on the winner.

While Brand was never in contention for the win, Puck Pieterse made a triumphant return to the top step. Bouncing back from a knee injury, the Dutch rider mastered the technical banks and fast straights to take victory. She finished 10 seconds ahead of her teammate Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, with Amandine Fouquenet rounding out the podium in third.

Despite the abrupt end to her historic streak, there is little alarm within the Brand camp just one week out from the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships. Team manager Sven Nys argued that the result was due to a training block specifically designed to peak for the World Championship battle.

"Lucinda said before the start that she doesn't have the freshest legs," Nys said in quotes collected by Cycling News. "Lucinda has had a tough week of training with a view to the World Championships, and as a result, she is a bit less fresh today. But that's no reason to panic."

Brand herself had hinted at this fatigue before the race, noting that with the World Cup overall title already in her pocket (she has a 110-point lead), the pressure was off.

"Not having to fight for the last points makes it easier to race, you can just focus on having a good race, a good feeling towards that last, important weekend," Brand said pre-race. "I think (the legs) are OK... But if you have a moment where it is going a little less smooth, maybe you lose connection with the group, and then it will be really hard to make it back to the front."

Brand will have an immediate chance to bounce back, and potentially make history, on Sunday at the final World Cup round in Hoogerheide.

She currently sits on 28 career World Cup victories, tying her with Marianne Vos for the most all-time by a female rider. A win in the Netherlands would not only set the record straight before the Worlds but would see Brand stand alone in the history books.