"She was clearly the fastest today": Lucinda Brand takes back the cyclocross crown with a dominant victory in Niel
Cyclocross
Following a disappointment at the European Cyclocross Championships, Lucinda Brand arrived for the Jaarmarktcross Niel with an added motivation to prove who's the best cyclocrosser in women's peloton. And in the third round of Superprestige on Tuesday, the Baloise - Trek Lions star was unmatched by her rivals to win by a difference of a class.
However Brand refuses that the race Niel would be her redemption arc: "No, the European Championships were this weekend and we had a really nice orange podium, so that's fantastic," Het Nieuwsblad quotes the winner of Jaarmarktcross. "Am I still going for the Superprestige classification? No, the plans haven't changed."
Just like in Middelkerke, her closest rivals were the new European champion Inge van der Heijden and Aniek van Alphen. "Aniek made a mistake, so I thought: I'll give it a try right away. That put me in a position where I just had to keep going. Inge really kept applying pressure, but I could feel where I was better than her."
Once a gap had opened behind Brand, the Dutchwoman is known to hardly ever let go of her advantage. And in Niel, the race proceeded as expected from that point onwards. "I tried to consolidate a bit in between and give a little extra in the areas where I was better. She started to break very slowly, so it really took a while."
Afterward, it was a smooth ride towards her fifth victory of the season, despite a bloody knee. The reason? The experienced Dutch rider had a collision early in the race. "I actually had a little slide early on, but I was able to immediately rejoin. Anyway, you don't have it on a video, so that's a good thing," she laughs.
Debut in European jersey
Van der Heijden initially stayed close to her experienced compatriot, but she lost considerable ground in the final laps. "I had a tough time, Lucinda started to gain straight away," she reflected on the race afterward with Sporza.
"I tried to keep the gap as small as possible, but she was clearly the fastest today," Van der Heijden said, adding that she can certainly live with her second place. The Crelan-Corendon rider not only achieved a podium finish, but she is also the new leader in the Superprestige after today.
The late withdrawal of her teammate Sara Casasola – due to a crash at the recent European Championships – has completely overhauled the Superprestige. "I just heard I'm the team leader. It's a shame it has to be this way, but we're obviously happy she's staying on the team."
Aniek van Alphen
Like on Saturday, Aniek van Alphen was also the third best Dutch rider in Niel. Despite a few mistakes during the race, the 26-year-old seemed mostly happy to once again climb onto the podium. "There were several points I did better in the reconnaissance. That's a bummer, but it's part of the game," she said, according to Sporza.
Van Alphen was particularly impressive in the challenging sand sector. The Seven Racing rider even managed to cut through this stretch of sand a few times while cycling. "I had the right track, it didn't take much effort, and the crowd went wild," is how she describes it.
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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