Lucinda Brand (Baloise Verzekeringen - Het Poetsbureau Lions) won the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup round 10 in Benidorm with a solo ride on a heavier, muddier course than Spain's Mediterranean coast typically delivers, finishing 10 seconds ahead of Dutch national champion Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado.
Elite Women Results
Benidorm • Jan 18
| Pos | Rider | NATNationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | Lucinda BRAND | NED | 0:52:01 |
| 🥈 | Ceylin del Carmen ALVARADO | NED | +0:10 |
| 🥉 | Amandine FOUQUENET | FRA | +0:12 |
| 4 | Célia GERY | FRA | +0:12 |
| 5 | Kristýna ZEMANOVÁ | CZE | +0:52 |
| 6 | Shirin VAN ANROOIJ | NED | +0:59 |
| 7 | Fleur MOORS | BEL | +1:08 |
| 8 | Marie SCHREIBER | LUX | +1:14 |
| 9 | Kata Blanka VAS | HUN | +1:25 |
| 10 | Zoe BACKSTEDT | GBR | +1:27 |
| 11 | Lucia BRAMATI | ITA | +1:32 |
| 12 | Rebecca GARIBOLDI | ITA | +1:42 |
| 13 | Leonie BENTVELD | NED | +1:47 |
| 14 | Aniek VAN ALPHEN | NED | +1:51 |
| 15 | Viktória CHLADOŇOVÁ | SVK | +1:54 |
| 16 | Denise BETSEMA | NED | +1:56 |
| 17 | Annemarie WORST | NED | +2:06 |
| 18 | Julie BROUWERS | BEL | +2:27 |
| 19 | Inge VAN DER HEIJDEN | NED | +2:30 |
| 20 | Hélène CLAUZEL | FRA | +2:31 |
| 21 | Marion NORBERT RIBEROLLE | BEL | +2:32 |
| 22 | Bloeme KALIS | NED | +2:33 |
| 23 | Manon BAKKER | NED | +2:43 |
| 24 | Sidney MCGILL | CAN | +2:56 |
| 25 | Alicia FRANCK | BEL | +3:04 |
| 26 | Alyssa SARKISOV | USA | +3:12 |
| 27 | Lauriane DURAFFOURG | FRA | +3:12 |
| 28 | Amandine MULLER | FRA | +3:24 |
| 29 | Lison DESPREZ | FRA | +3:25 |
| 30 | Sofia RODRIGUEZ REVERT | ESP | +3:32 |
| 31 | Elisa FERRI | ITA | +3:38 |
| 32 | Mae CABACA | NED | +3:45 |
| 33 | Electa GALLEZOT | FRA | +3:56 |
| 34 | Elizabeth GUNSALUS | USA | +4:06 |
| 35 | Kiona CRABBÉ | BEL | +4:26 |
| 36 | Laura VERDONSCHOT | BEL | +4:38 |
| 37 | Puck LANGENBARG | NED | +4:44 |
| 38 | Liv WENZEL | LUX | +4:44 |
| 39 | Lucia GONZALEZ BLANCO | ESP | +5:08 |
| 40 | Alicia GONZALEZ BLANCO | ESP | +5:09 |
| 41 | Raylyn NUSS | USA | +5:15 |
| 42 | Kaya MUSGRAVE | USA | +5:20 |
| 43 | Mia ASELTINE | USA | +5:22 |
| 44 | Nico KNOLL | CAN | +5:23 |
| 45 | Lyllie SONNEMANN | USA | +5:38 |
| 46 | Lauren ZOERNER | USA | +6:04 |
| 47 | Xan CREES | GBR | +6:10 |
| 48 | Lorena PATIÑO VILLANUEVA | ESP | +6:31 |
| 49 | Maïté BARTHELS | LUX | +6:50 |
| 50 | Xenna DE BRUYCKERE | BEL | +7:11 |
| 51 | Kateřina HLADÍKOVÁ | CZE | +7:21 |
| 52 | Sara CUETO VEGA | ESP | +7:24 |
| 53 | Shanyl DE SCHOESITTER | BEL | +7:38 |
| 54 | Claudia SAN JUSTO MANTECON | ESP | +7:46 |
| 55 | Layla BARTHELS | LUX | - |
| 56 | Marta BETI PEREZ | ESP | - |
| 57 | Nahia ARANA QUINTANILLA | ESP | - |
| 58 | Andrea VELASCO GARCIA | ESP | - |
| 59 | Jinse PEETERS | BEL | - |
| 60 | Sara BONILLO TALENS | ESP | - |
| 61 | Ainara ELBUSTO ARTEAGA | ESP | - |
| 62 | Maria FILGUEIRAS BARCENILLA | ESP | - |
| 63 | Carla JIMENEZ VERA Y FRIAS | ESP | - |
The redesigned Benidorm circuit included a central 100-metre sandbank, and organisers moved the finish line to midway up a shallow tarmac climb, preceded by stairs. Saturday's rain turned the usually fast parkland into sticky, technical terrain that made mistakes in the sand costly.
Brand made her decisive move on the technical muddy turns of lap 4, using sustained power to open a gap that Alvarado could not close.
French riders take third and fourth
Amandine Fouquenet (Pauwels Sauzen - Altez Industriebouw) and Célia Gery finished third and fourth on the same time as Alvarado, just two seconds behind the runner-up. The result reversed their order from the French national championships one week earlier, where 20-year-old Gery had taken the title ahead of Fouquenet.
Kristýna Zemanová finished 52 seconds down in fifth, with Shirin van Anrooij (Baloise Verzekeringen) and Fleur Moors (Baloise Verzekeringen) completing the top seven.
Puck Pieterse was absent after sustaining a back injury in a crash at the Dutch national championships.
Form lines to Worlds
With only two World Cup rounds remaining before the World Championships in Hulst, Benidorm was a form test. Brand won solo on a course that required both repeated sand efforts and late-race climbing power.
Cover image credit: Zubiko/SWpix.com
