Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek) has revealed that recurring back pain appears to be worsening after the cyclocross world champion finished third at the Nacht van Woerden on Tuesday, October 20.
The 37-year-old star who dominated the 2025/2026 season said the pain came back soon after recovering from a poor start to the race. The pain affected her ability to handle the bike through corners.
"I didn't have such a good start, and I did actually get into it reasonably quickly," she told WielerFlits. "But then my back soon started hurting again, and then the corners don't go well anymore either."
Asked about the recurring problem, Brand said: "Yes, it's always there, but it's only getting worse. That's how it seems; it's a bit annoying."
For most riders an injury to their back would be a worry as, like a knee injury, it could mean a lengthy spell out of racing to ensure recovery. Brand, however, is not worried: "it just needs to be worked on."
Rain made the roughly 3km circuit beside Woerden's canals increasingly slippery. The course includes repeated changes of direction on the Exercitieveld, two barriers and a temporary pontoon bridge, which placed heavy demands on cornering. Brand started outside the top 10 and had to move up on a narrow course. She got back towards the front but could not follow Marie Schreiber (Team SD Worx-Protime) when the Luxembourger accelerated in the second half of the race.
Aniek van Alphen (Cyclocross Reds) then dropped Brand to take second, 16 seconds behind Schreiber, who won despite falling on the last lap. Brand finished 32 seconds down. It was Schreiber's second consecutive victory and her fourth of the season.
Two wins, then two thirds
It all started beautifully on the cyclocross mud for Brand as she opened the season with two victories at Dendermonde on October 11 and Ardooie on October 15, where she rode clear four laps from the finish and beat Schreiber. At Meulebeke on October 17 she crashed mid-race but fought back to third behind Schreiber and Van Alphen.
Brand had spoken about the physical load she has to face now she is in her late 30s in a recent interview but she is ready for the challenge despite having to work hard to stay fit and avoid minor aches and pains.
Brand won her second elite world title at Hulst on January 31, five years after her first in Oostende, and has named next year's World Championships in Oostende as a major target. She had taken 20 victories last winter by the time she won in Sint-Niklaas on February 14, while already logging long road rides for her road season. Her run of 63 consecutive podiums, stretching back to January 2024, ended at Maasmechelen on January 24.
