Lucinda Brand turned Koksijde’s dunes into her personal test track, crushing round six of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup with a long solo to claim her first ever World Cup win on the iconic course.
Elite Women Results
TBD • Dec 21
| Pos | Rider | NATNationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | Lucinda BRAND | NED | 0:48:08 |
| 🥈 | Shirin VAN ANROOIJ | NED | +0:36 |
| 🥉 | Ceylin del Carmen ALVARADO | NED | +1:03 |
| 4 | Aniek VAN ALPHEN | NED | +1:07 |
| 5 | Puck PIETERSE | NED | +1:11 |
| 6 | Inge VAN DER HEIJDEN | NED | +2:13 |
| 7 | Denise BETSEMA | NED | +2:16 |
| 8 | Leonie BENTVELD | NED | +2:25 |
| 9 | Kristýna ZEMANOVÁ | CZE | +2:26 |
| 10 | Amandine FOUQUENET | FRA | +2:37 |
| 11 | Manon BAKKER | NED | +2:40 |
| 12 | Lucia BRAMATI | ITA | +2:54 |
| 13 | Célia GERY | FRA | +3:14 |
| 14 | Julie BROUWERS | BEL | +3:48 |
| 15 | Laura VERDONSCHOT | BEL | +4:07 |
| 16 | Hélène CLAUZEL | FRA | +4:13 |
| 17 | Fleur MOORS | BEL | +4:16 |
| 18 | Lauren MOLENGRAAF | NED | +4:43 |
| 19 | Amandine MULLER | FRA | +4:49 |
| 20 | Elizabeth GUNSALUS | USA | +5:03 |
| 21 | Electa GALLEZOT | FRA | +5:07 |
| 22 | Marion NORBERT RIBEROLLE | BEL | +5:09 |
| 23 | Larissa HARTOG | NED | +5:15 |
| 24 | Bloeme KALIS | NED | +5:43 |
| 25 | Lison DESPREZ | FRA | +5:55 |
| 26 | Perrine CLAUZEL | FRA | +5:56 |
| 27 | Jinse PEETERS | BEL | +6:00 |
| 28 | Annemarie WORST | NED | +6:01 |
| 29 | Alyssa SARKISOV | USA | +6:01 |
| 30 | Sofia RODRIGUEZ REVERT | ESP | +6:07 |
| 31 | Carlotta BORELLO | ITA | +6:59 |
| 32 | Sterre VERVLOET | BEL | +7:02 |
| 33 | Sidney MCGILL | CAN | +7:03 |
| 34 | Lidia CUSACK | USA | +7:03 |
| 35 | Rebekka ESTERMANN | SUI | +7:17 |
| 36 | Kiona CRABBÉ | BEL | +7:33 |
| 37 | Lucia GONZALEZ BLANCO | ESP | +7:42 |
| 38 | Mia ASELTINE | USA | +8:09 |
| 39 | Kateřina DOUDĚROVÁ | CZE | +8:13 |
| 40 | Xan CREES | GBR | +8:33 |
| 41 | Sara CUETO VEGA | ESP | +8:53 |
| 42 | Nadja HEIGL | AUT | +9:05 |
| 43 | Ilken SEYNAVE | BEL | +9:11 |
| 44 | Anna PANUŠOVÁ | CZE | +9:31 |
| 45 | Kim VAN DE STEENE | BEL | +9:54 |
| 46 | Jana GLAUS | SUI | - |
| 47 | Xenna DE BRUYCKERE | BEL | - |
| 48 | Lauren ZOERNER | USA | - |
| 49 | Lotte BAELE | BEL | - |
| 50 | Stefanie PAUL | GER | - |
| 51 | Alicia GONZALEZ BLANCO | ESP | - |
| 52 | Mille NIELSEN | DEN | - |
| 53 | Ana LOPEZ BURGOS | ESP | - |
| 54 | Léa STERN | SUI | - |
| 55 | Lyllie SONNEMANN | USA | - |
| 56 | Tomke WINDELBAND | GER | - |
| 57 | Alexe DE RAEDEMAEKER | BEL | - |
| 58 | Emily SHIELDS | USA | - |
| 59 | Maja JOZKOWICZ | POL | - |
| 60 | Katharina Julia HINZ | GER | - |
| 61 | Luna CARRIO HERNANDEZ | ESP | - |
| 62 | Friederike MICHELS | GER | - |
| 63 | Giorgia SECCHI | ITA | - |
| 64 | Katja VERKERK | CAN | - |
| 65 | Carla JIMENEZ VERA Y FRIAS | ESP | - |
Brand breaks it open early
French rider Amandine Fouquenet (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) took the initial lead, charging into the opening sand sections with intent. However, Brand was immediately attentive, moving to the front halfway through the first lap.
"I'm not the best in sand," Brand said ahead of the race, hinting at her apprehension on such a specialist course. "If you make five mistakes and someone else doesn't, you can still be much better [and not win]." Her early aggression proved decisive. By the second of the five laps, she had already carved out a significant gap, effectively turning the event into a solo time trial.
Behind the World Cup leader, the battle for position was fierce. Aniek van Alphen (Cyclocross Reds) initially tried to match Brand's pace but soon faded, leaving Shirin van Anrooij to lead the chase. Van Anrooij, showing her best form of the season after returning from injury, managed to separate herself from the chasing group in the dunes.
Brand, however, was in a league of her own. Navigating the deep ruts and steep run-ups with precision, she extended her lead lap by lap.
How it unfolded
- Lap 1: Brand and Van Alphen edge clear; Alvarado and Puck Pieterse stuck in group, ~30 s down.
- Lap 2: Van Anrooij bridges, Brand launches decisive sand attack.
- Laps 3–4: Brand’s consistency under 9:40 per lap builds an unassailable gap.
- Final lap: Alvarado’s 9:26 closing circuit secures third ahead of van Alphen and Pieterse.
World Cup stakes
This was Brand’s 12th win of the season and her first Koksijde victory, adding another major sand scalp. She now leads the World Cup by 32 points over van Alphen, with her podium streak stretching into the mid‑50s and no obvious weakness left on the calendar.
Cover image by Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
