Lucinda Brand won World Cup round five in Antwerpen after a six-lap duel with Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado. The Dutch pair hit the final lap together, with Brand clinging to a 2 s margin on the long drag back to Thonetlaan.
Brand’s victory marks another key triumph in a heavily emotional period for the Dutch champion, seeing her take the lead in the World Cup standings from Aniek van Alphen.
Elite Women Results
Antwerp - Antwerp • Dec 20
| Pos | Rider | NATNationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | Lucinda BRAND | NED | 0:53:48 |
| 🥈 | Ceylin del Carmen ALVARADO | NED | +0:02 |
| 🥉 | Aniek VAN ALPHEN | NED | +0:16 |
| 4 | Puck PIETERSE | NED | +0:23 |
| 5 | Kristýna ZEMANOVÁ | CZE | +0:24 |
| 6 | Shirin VAN ANROOIJ | NED | +0:24 |
| 7 | Sara CASASOLA | ITA | +0:30 |
| 8 | Inge VAN DER HEIJDEN | NED | +1:01 |
| 9 | Manon BAKKER | NED | +1:13 |
| 10 | Leonie BENTVELD | NED | +1:25 |
| 11 | Denise BETSEMA | NED | +1:30 |
| 12 | Marion NORBERT RIBEROLLE | BEL | +1:37 |
| 13 | Amandine FOUQUENET | FRA | +1:45 |
| 14 | Fleur MOORS | BEL | +1:47 |
| 15 | Célia GERY | FRA | +2:04 |
| 16 | Julie BROUWERS | BEL | +2:10 |
| 17 | Lucia BRAMATI | ITA | +2:35 |
| 18 | Marie SCHREIBER | LUX | +2:48 |
| 19 | Hélène CLAUZEL | FRA | +2:55 |
| 20 | Amandine MULLER | FRA | +3:09 |
| 21 | Jolanda NEFF | SUI | +3:19 |
| 22 | Larissa HARTOG | NED | +3:25 |
| 23 | Bloeme KALIS | NED | +3:34 |
| 24 | Laura VERDONSCHOT | BEL | +3:35 |
| 25 | Rafaelle CARRIER | CAN | +3:35 |
| 26 | Carlotta BORELLO | ITA | +3:38 |
| 27 | Rebekka ESTERMANN | SUI | +3:44 |
| 28 | Perrine CLAUZEL | FRA | +3:46 |
| 29 | Lauren MOLENGRAAF | NED | +3:52 |
| 30 | Sidney MCGILL | CAN | +4:00 |
| 31 | Elizabeth GUNSALUS | USA | +4:10 |
| 32 | Jinse PEETERS | BEL | +4:18 |
| 33 | Alyssa SARKISOV | USA | +4:23 |
| 34 | Sofia RODRIGUEZ REVERT | ESP | +4:28 |
| 35 | Lucia GONZALEZ BLANCO | ESP | +4:30 |
| 36 | Rebecca GARIBOLDI | ITA | +4:36 |
| 37 | Sterre VERVLOET | BEL | +4:41 |
| 38 | Kiona CRABBÉ | BEL | +4:47 |
| 39 | Mia ASELTINE | USA | +4:48 |
| 40 | Maghalie ROCHETTE | CAN | +4:51 |
| 41 | Annemarie WORST | NED | +5:05 |
| 42 | Sanne LAURIJSSEN | BEL | +5:09 |
| 43 | Kateřina HLADÍKOVÁ | CZE | +5:35 |
| 44 | Electa GALLEZOT | FRA | +5:53 |
| 45 | Liv WENZEL | LUX | +6:02 |
| 46 | Xan CREES | GBR | +6:26 |
| 47 | Shanyl DE SCHOESITTER | BEL | +6:45 |
| 48 | Nadja HEIGL | AUT | +7:21 |
| 49 | Lidia CUSACK | USA | +7:24 |
| 50 | Maïté BARTHELS | LUX | +7:25 |
| 51 | Lauren ZOERNER | USA | +7:30 |
| 52 | Sara CUETO VEGA | ESP | +7:46 |
| 53 | Layla BARTHELS | LUX | +7:58 |
| 54 | Lotte BAELE | BEL | +8:12 |
| 55 | Alicia GONZALEZ BLANCO | ESP | +8:20 |
| 56 | Ana LOPEZ BURGOS | ESP | +8:31 |
| 57 | Ilken SEYNAVE | BEL | +8:35 |
| 58 | Léa STERN | SUI | +8:40 |
| 59 | Lyllie SONNEMANN | USA | +8:44 |
| 60 | Nette COPPENS | BEL | +8:54 |
| 61 | Anna PANUŠOVÁ | CZE | +8:54 |
| 62 | Nina BERTON | LUX | +9:06 |
| 63 | Jana GLAUS | SUI | +9:15 |
| 64 | Mille NIELSEN | DEN | +9:15 |
| 65 | Regina BRUCHNER | HUN | +9:30 |
| 66 | Nico KNOLL | CAN | - |
| 67 | Katja VERKERK | CAN | - |
| 68 | Dorothee PERRON | CAN | - |
| 69 | Gaia SANTIN | ITA | - |
| 70 | Ilaria TAMBOSCO | ITA | - |
| 71 | Katharina Julia HINZ | GER | - |
| 72 | Maja JOZKOWICZ | POL | - |
| 73 | Diana STEFFENHAGEN | GER | - |
| 74 | Veronika SEDLÁČKOVÁ | CZE | - |
| 75 | Jorja BOND | USA | - |
| 76 | Giorgia SECCHI | ITA | - |
| 77 | Nadia CASASOLA | ITA | - |
| 78 | Friederike MICHELS | GER | - |
| 79 | Luna CARRIO HERNANDEZ | ESP | - |
| 80 | Julia-Katharina PFEIL | GER | - |
Brand turns the sand into a pacing weapon
The race on the banks of the Scheldt began with a fast start from Inge van der Heijden and Aniek van Alphen, who used the technical sections to open early gaps before Van Alphen took the race lead by the end of the first lap. However, the race quickly stabilised as Brand – who had a deflating start – and the chasing pack closed down the leaders on the second lap.
While Puck Pieterse launched an attack to test the field, she was unable to shake Brand. The race soon evolved into a two-woman battle, with Brand and Alvarado forming a leading duo that distanced the rest of the field. The pair traded blows throughout the hour, with the Fenix-Deceuninck rider matching Brand’s power on the sand-heavy course.
On the fifth lap, Brand made a significant move to break clear, but Alvarado showed resilience, closing the gap to set up a grandstand finish. The final lap saw Brand attack again on a steep uphill ramp, but she could not shake her compatriot until the very end, winning the sprint to the line to take the victory.
Van Alphen completed the podium in third, continuing her own strong run of form after defending her position well against the chasing group, which included Pieterse who finished fourth.
WC lead swings back to Brand
Van Alphen raced like a rider intent on defending a jersey, blasting the opening lap in 8:52 to lead just ahead of Van der Heijden. The cost showed immediately: a 9:21 second lap brought Brand, Alvarado and Puck Pieterse back, and from there her race became damage control.
Third on the day isn’t a disaster, but it’s decisive. While disappointed to miss out on the win, her performance in the deep sand signals she is back to her best.
For Alvarado, the second-place finish was a confirmation of her growing form after a delayed start to the season due to injury. "I fought for it, but Lucinda just had that little bit extra at the end," she noted after the race.
With another sand win to add to Tábor and Terralba, Brand takes over the World Cup lead heading into the Kerstperiode of holiday season races. Van Alphen stays firmly in the hunt, yet now has to attack rather than merely follow.
How the race was won
- Start: Van Alphen converts her front-row grid slot into early race lead.
- Lap 2: Van Alphen fades; Brand settles into time-trial mode, with Alvarado and Pieterse bridging from behind.
- Mid-race: Pieterse takes lead but is unable to hold it, Brand and Alvarado ride clear through the beach sectors, Pieterse hovering but never closing.
- Final lap (last lap): Brand and Alvarado empty the tank. Alvarado draws level in the deepest ruts, Brand takes final sprint for narrow win.
Behind, Pieterse’s solid but unspectacular fourth may overshadow an impressive attack, showing that she has the power to leave the field behind. She may break the elastic in the weeks to come. For the rest of the pack, Antwerpen was confirmation: to beat Brand on this terrain, you now need both flawless technique and an engine to match.
Cover image (Brand pictured in 2024) credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
