“Now quickly recover for tomorrow" - Lucinda Brand already turns attention to Dendermonde after taking victory in Gullegem

Lucinda Brand has shown incredible consistency this winter. In her 23 races to date, the Dutch national champion is yet to finish off the podium. This Saturday afternoon in Gullegem, Brand also secured her 6th victory of the campaign.

Finishing strong as has become her trademark, Brand actually started the penultimate lap of Superprestige Gullegem Cross in 4th, slightly gapped by a leading trio of Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, Zoe Backstedt and Leonie Bentveld. After dragging her way back into contact though, Brand then surged clear on the final lap, eventually taking victory with relative comfort, finishing 6 seconds clear of Backstedt and Alvarado.

“I actually felt really good in the second lap,” Brand reflected post-race. “I had a good flow on the course, but at the second checkpoint they suddenly stepped on the gas again. Not at all, I thought. They must have been riding a lot more calmly before that. But I kept trying to find my own lines and suddenly it turned around again. In a final round like that, you don’t want to leave anything behind, so you can always do a bit more.”

“Now quickly recover for tomorrow,” she concludes, casting an eye to World Cup Dendermonde coming up this Sunday. “We have at least practiced running well here. That will probably be the case again tomorrow.”