Lucinda Brand (Baloise Glowi Lions) turned frozen Gavere into a power test and won it outright, taking World Cup round seven with a controlled solo on the Boxing Day hills above the Scheldt. On a fast, icy track that punished mistakes, she finished 15 s clear of Amandine Fouquenet, with Puck Pieterse third at +19 s.
Elite Women Results
TBD • Dec 26
| Pos | Rider | NATNationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | Lucinda BRAND | NED | 0:48:26 |
| 🥈 | Amandine FOUQUENET | FRA | +0:15 |
| 🥉 | Puck PIETERSE | NED | +0:19 |
| 4 | Kata Blanka VAS | HUN | +0:38 |
| 5 | Aniek VAN ALPHEN | NED | +0:49 |
| 6 | Célia GERY | FRA | +0:54 |
| 7 | Shirin VAN ANROOIJ | NED | +1:12 |
| 8 | Ceylin del Carmen ALVARADO | NED | +1:43 |
| 9 | Inge VAN DER HEIJDEN | NED | +1:52 |
| 10 | Viktória CHLADOŇOVÁ | SVK | +1:57 |
| 11 | Amandine MULLER | FRA | +2:04 |
| 12 | Marion NORBERT RIBEROLLE | BEL | +2:10 |
| 13 | Vida LOPEZ DE SAN ROMAN | USA | +2:11 |
| 14 | Kiona CRABBÉ | BEL | +2:19 |
| 15 | Leonie BENTVELD | NED | +2:24 |
| 16 | Hélène CLAUZEL | FRA | +2:25 |
| 17 | Denise BETSEMA | NED | +2:26 |
| 18 | Larissa HARTOG | NED | +2:27 |
| 19 | Lidia CUSACK | USA | +2:29 |
| 20 | Julie BROUWERS | BEL | +2:50 |
| 21 | Katherine SARKISOV | USA | +2:55 |
| 22 | Manon BAKKER | NED | +2:57 |
| 23 | Mae CABACA | NED | +3:01 |
| 24 | Jolanda NEFF | SUI | +3:07 |
| 25 | Fleur MOORS | BEL | +3:15 |
| 26 | Rebekka ESTERMANN | SUI | +3:20 |
| 27 | Rebecca GARIBOLDI | ITA | +3:51 |
| 28 | Laura VERDONSCHOT | BEL | +3:56 |
| 29 | Xaydee VAN SINAEY | BEL | +3:59 |
| 30 | Mia ASELTINE | USA | +4:04 |
| 31 | Letizia BORGHESI | ITA | +4:20 |
| 32 | Lauriane DURAFFOURG | FRA | +4:45 |
| 33 | Carlotta BORELLO | ITA | +4:58 |
| 34 | Sofia RODRIGUEZ REVERT | ESP | +5:04 |
| 35 | Jinse PEETERS | BEL | +5:05 |
| 36 | Nico KNOLL | CAN | +5:06 |
| 37 | Sterre VERVLOET | BEL | +5:28 |
| 38 | Nadja HEIGL | AUT | +5:36 |
| 39 | Sara SONNEMANS | NED | +5:43 |
| 40 | Regina BRUCHNER | HUN | +5:46 |
| 41 | Anna MEGALE | USA | +5:51 |
| 42 | Ilken SEYNAVE | BEL | +5:54 |
| 43 | Emeline DETILLEUX | BEL | +5:55 |
| 44 | Kim VAN DE STEENE | BEL | +6:01 |
| 45 | Léa STERN | SUI | +6:10 |
| 46 | Layla BARTHELS | LUX | +6:17 |
| 47 | Alicia GONZALEZ BLANCO | ESP | +6:26 |
| 48 | Maïté BARTHELS | LUX | +6:31 |
| 49 | Noï MOES | NED | +6:39 |
| 50 | Xenna DE BRUYCKERE | BEL | +7:13 |
| 51 | Sara CUETO VEGA | ESP | +7:26 |
| 52 | Jana GLAUS | SUI | +7:28 |
| 53 | Ann-Dorthe LISBYGD | DEN | +7:28 |
| 54 | Lyllie SONNEMANN | USA | +7:49 |
| 55 | Adèle HURTELOUP | FRA | +8:04 |
| 56 | Dorothee PERRON | CAN | - |
| 57 | Siobhan KELLY | CAN | - |
| 58 | Emily SHIELDS | USA | - |
| 59 | Luna CARRIO HERNANDEZ | ESP | - |
| 60 | Carla JIMENEZ VERA Y FRIAS | ESP | - |
| 61 | Alicia REYNOLDS | AUS | - |
Brand turns frozen Gavere into a numbers game
The thawing, treacherous surface at Gavere played to Lucinda Brand’s experience. While teammate Shirin van Anrooij set the early pace with a 7:54 opening lap, Brand remained close, capitalizing when the course conditions deteriorated.
Her decisive moment arrived on Lap 3 – after race leader Puck Pieterse slid out on a slick descent, Brand seized the front and immediately applied pressure on the climbs. Controlled and steady, she extended her advantage over the chasers, managing the gap to secure her 26th World Cup victory.
Fouquenet’s Breakthrough, Pieterse’s Recovery
Amandine Fouquenet (Arkéa–B&B Hotels) was the day’s revelation. After leading the field off the start line, she rode a disciplined race to lock in second.
Pieterse’s race was defined by recovery. After taking control in Lap 2, her crash on the third lap surrendered the lead to Brand. She spent the remainder of the race chasing, closing to within a few seconds of Fouquenet on the final circuit but ultimately settling for third. Behind them, Blanka Vas finished strong to take fourth, with Célia Gery and Aniek van Alphen rounding out the top six.
"Already in the first corner everyone felt it was quite slippy," Pieterse said following the race finish. "So I changed halfway to have more mud tyre in the front which helped but it was still tricky. But that's the fun thing about Cross."
"You never get used to it," Brand said of her winning streak after the race finish. "It was a hard day, in the beginning I really had to search for feeling on the surface. I changed my tyres a few times, and I really had to think how to pedal."
What it means
This was Brand’s seventh World Cup win of the season on another heavy, high-power course. She extends her overall World Cup lead to 51 points over Van Alphen.
Fouquenet's equalled her previous best World Cup finish (2nd place at Flamanville). Pieterse, still building into her cyclocross block, leaves Gavere with confirmation that even on an off day she can ride back onto the podium.
Gavere’s frozen edition asked a different question than its traditional mud bath. Brand answered it with the same outcome.
Cover image credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
