Taking the title in style! Lucinda Brand caps off overall World Cup win with dominant victory in Hoogerheide

Baloise Glowi Lions' Lucinda Brand has taken victory at the final round of the 2024/25 Women's UCI World Cup in Hoogerheide, ending a special season in style and confirming her overall World Cup win in the process. All eyes now turn to the Cyclocross World Championships next weekend!

With all the talk pre-race being about how incredibly heavy the Hoogerheide course was, it was Dutch national champion Puck Pieterse giving her compatriots in the crowd something to cheer early, storming through the opening lap, she gained a small lead over the likes of Lucinda Brand, Zoe Backstedt and Blanka Kata Vas. On lap 2, Brand managed to get back in contact with Pieterse, whilst behind, Backstedt and Vas nearly came to blows. As Pieterse slipped out, Brand ended the second lap clear solo at the front, 10 seconds ahead of Vas.

As Brand continued to just power on at the front, the fight for the places behind was really starting to intensify as Fem van Empel caught up with Vas and Pieterse, making a three-woman chasing group. Sadly for Pieterse, more errors came into her racing on lap 4 as he hit the deck again, losing ground on Van Empel and Vas. On the same lap though, it was then Van Empel's turn to go down hard, giving Pieterse hopes of a podium once again. Up at the front however, Brand continued to be faultless, starting the final lap of World Cup Hoogerheide 27 seconds clear of Vas. That proved easily sufficient as Brand took the victory ahead of Vas in 2nd and Pieterse in 3rd.