Results GP Sven Nys Baal | New Year, same result... Lucinda Brand dominant again to kick off 2026 in style

Lucinda Brand began the new year exactly where she left off, producing another commanding display to win the women’s race at the GP Sven Nys Baal and further cement her control of the winter season.

A hesitant start once again failed to slow Brand. Jolanda Neff briefly led the early exchanges after a strong launch from the second row, but as soon as the course began to rise, the race tilted decisively. Brand moved past Neff on the opening drag and immediately began to stretch the elastic.

Behind her, Puck Pieterse endured a nervous moment on the steps in the opening lap, slipping on a tread and briefly losing momentum. Although she avoided a full crash and stabilised into second place, the damage was already done. Zoe Backstedt initially remained close, but Brand’s pace proved relentless.

By the end of the opening lap, Brand’s advantage was already into double figures. That gap continued to grow, touching 20 seconds by the third lap, with Pieterse unable to see the leader even on the longest straights. Backstedt drifted further back to over half a minute, while Marion Norbert Riberolle, Neff and Manon Bakker were locked into a separate contest for fourth.

Pieterse refused to capitulate. A small mistake in the field briefly allowed Backstedt back into view behind her, and there was a fleeting moment when the gap to Brand dipped to around 15 seconds. It proved temporary. Brand never appeared flustered, riding fully within herself and quickly restoring a buffer of more than 20 seconds as the race moved towards its conclusion.

Entering the final lap, Brand’s advantage was secure. Even a laboured final ascent of the Balenberg could not alter the outcome, and she crossed the line unchallenged, with Pieterse a clear second and Backstedt completing the podium.

The victory was Brand’s 17th of the season and her seventh in just 13 days over the festive period. More importantly, it confirmed her overall success in the X2O Badkamers Trofee, a fitting reward for a winter she has controlled from the outset.

The post-Christmas run has sharpened the impression, but Baal was simply the latest expression of a broader reality: Brand remains the benchmark of this season, dictating races on her own terms and leaving the rest to fight for what remains.