The Citadel of Namur tests cyclocross’s best on both power and technique, and Lucinda Brand proved untouchable on the slopes. The Baloise Glowi Lions rider attacked on the first lap and absorbed a mid-race puncture to take a dominant solo victory, slashing the World Cup standings gap to a single point.
Elite Women Results
Namur - Namur • Dec 14
| Pos | Rider | NATNationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | Lucinda BRAND | NED | 0:52:23 |
| 🥈 | Aniek VAN ALPHEN | NED | +0:43 |
| 🥉 | Amandine FOUQUENET | FRA | +1:00 |
| 4 | Puck PIETERSE | NED | +1:21 |
| 5 | Jolanda NEFF | SUI | +1:42 |
| 6 | Inge VAN DER HEIJDEN | NED | +2:07 |
| 7 | Kristýna ZEMANOVÁ | CZE | +2:16 |
| 8 | Leonie BENTVELD | NED | +2:23 |
| 9 | Amandine MULLER | FRA | +2:34 |
| 10 | Célia GERY | FRA | +2:43 |
| 11 | Hélène CLAUZEL | FRA | +3:01 |
| 12 | Ceylin del Carmen ALVARADO | NED | +3:11 |
| 13 | Marion NORBERT RIBEROLLE | BEL | +3:23 |
| 14 | Denise BETSEMA | NED | +3:37 |
| 15 | Electa GALLEZOT | FRA | +3:57 |
| 16 | Manon BAKKER | NED | +4:01 |
| 17 | Rebekka ESTERMANN | SUI | +4:06 |
| 18 | Perrine CLAUZEL | FRA | +4:30 |
| 19 | Larissa HARTOG | NED | +4:48 |
| 20 | Julie BROUWERS | BEL | +5:06 |
| 21 | Sidney MCGILL | CAN | +5:25 |
| 22 | Anna KAY | GBR | +5:48 |
| 23 | Maghalie ROCHETTE | CAN | +6:08 |
| 24 | Anniek MOS | NED | +6:21 |
| 25 | Lidia CUSACK | USA | +6:26 |
| 26 | Xan CREES | GBR | +6:38 |
| 27 | Lucia BRAMATI | ITA | +6:50 |
| 28 | Lauren MOLENGRAAF | NED | +7:07 |
| 29 | Liv WENZEL | LUX | +7:20 |
| 30 | Emeline DETILLEUX | BEL | +7:29 |
| 31 | Kim VAN DE STEENE | BEL | +7:49 |
| 32 | Elena DAY | GBR | +7:57 |
| 33 | Ana LOPEZ BURGOS | ESP | +8:13 |
| 34 | Shanyl DE SCHOESITTER | BEL | +8:53 |
| 35 | Xenna DE BRUYCKERE | BEL | - |
| 36 | Ann-Dorthe LISBYGD | DEN | - |
| 37 | Maïté BARTHELS | LUX | - |
| 38 | Sara CUETO VEGA | ESP | - |
| 39 | Ilken SEYNAVE | BEL | - |
| 40 | Nina BERTON | LUX | - |
| 41 | Léa STERN | SUI | - |
| 42 | Layla BARTHELS | LUX | - |
| 43 | Kaija BUDDE | GER | - |
| 44 | Juline DELCOMMUNE | BEL | - |
| 45 | Pem HOEFMANS | NED | - |
| 46 | Dorothee PERRON | CAN | - |
| 47 | Luna CARRIO HERNANDEZ | ESP | - |
| 48 | Giorgia SECCHI | ITA | - |
The Decisive Move
French champion Amandine Fouquenet took the holeshot, but Brand refused to panic. She waited for the first major climb following the off-camber traverse on Lap 1 to launch her acceleration.
By the time they crested, the elastic had snapped. While Puck Pieterse clocked a blistering 7:24 second lap to briefly threaten, the effort proved unsustainable. Brand settled into a relentless rhythm of 7:20s and 7:30s, while Pieterse paid for her early violence, bleeding 10–15 seconds per lap from the halfway point to finish fourth (+1:21).
Crisis Management
Brand’s dominance was such that she shrugged off a front wheel puncture on Lap 3. The mechanical cost her roughly 15 seconds, yet she rebuilt her buffer within half a lap. "The puncture was really stupid, but that can happen here," Brand noted, dismissing the incident that might have derailed a closer contest.
The Battle Behind
Aniek van Alphen rode a calculated race for second (+0:43). Unable to match Brand's uphill wattage, the series leader focused on error-free consistency to limit the damage to her World Cup advantage. The standout performance came from Fouquenet, whose aggressive start converted into a career-best third place (+1:00).
Conversely, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado failed to fire, languishing in 12th (+3:11), while Jolanda Neff marked her return with a credible fifth place.
Implications
Following her win in Terralba, Brand is now the undisputed form rider of the winter. She sits just one point behind Van Alphen in the overall standings, turning the World Cup into a dead heat.
Cover image credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
