Lucinda Brand of the Netherlands won the women’s elite title at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Ostend, Belgium, today. Photo: Twitter @UCI_CX.
Lucinda Brand of the Netherlands won the women’s elite title at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Ostend, Belgium, today.
Brand lived up to her pre-race billing as favourite in cold and muddy conditions, crossing the finish line eight seconds ahead of teammate Annemarie Worst.
Denise Betsema finished third making it a clean-sweep of the podium places for the dominant Dutch squad.
Defending champion Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado finished sixth.
Betsema was the race’s early leader, but saw her advantage wiped out by Brand and Worst who worked in tandem to close the gap.
Early on the third lap of the five-lap race, Betsema was caught by Brand and Worst and the trio took the bell together for the final lap.
The experience of 31-year-old Brand eventually told, and a shoulder-to-shoulder incident in the final kilometre gave her the advantage she needed to claim the rainbow jersey as world champion.
Betsema had the consolation of recording the fastest 3km-lap of the race in a time of 8:58.
Today’s triumph was Brand’s first cyclo-cross world title after three podium finishes in the last three years.
“For so many years I’ve been so close. Finally, after such a great season, to finish it off like this is really cool,” an elated Brand said post-race.
Commenting on the final lap incident after she and Worst made contact on a sharp turn, Brand said: “We crashed into each other and I just touched her elbow or something.
“Of course, it was the weakest point to touch her, which is why she crashed. It was not really nice, but it was also not easy to avoid a situation like this.”
Earlier in the day, Pim Ronhaar of the Netherlands won the men’s U23 title.
The men’s elite race will take place on Sunday at 16:10 (SA time).
🎉 🌈 🇳🇱 🎉 🌈 🇳🇱
The World Championship winning moment for @lucinda_brand.#Ostend2021 pic.twitter.com/vCKgcJiMxb
— UCI Cyclocross (@UCI_CX) January 30, 2021
