Lucinda Brand secured her thirteenth victory of the cyclocross season on Monday. The Baloise Glowi Lions rider started as the overwhelming favorite for the X2O Trophy cyclocross in Hofstade and more than lived up to expectations. Shirin van Anrooij finished second again, just like in Koksijde, with Manon Bakker taking third place.
During the busy Christmas period, cyclocross races come thick and fast. After clashes in Antwerp and Koksijde, Monday saw another sand race at the Sport Vlaanderen domain in Hofstade. Between 2001 and 2008, the Flemish-Brabant municipality was a regular stop in the cyclocross scene, including four times as part of the World Cup, but afterwards the race was removed from the calendar.
After seventeen years, Hofstade returns as a round in the X2O Badkamers Trophy cyclocross series. Among the women, several notable absences included Puck Pieterse, Inge van der Heijden, Aniek van Alphen, Leonie Bentveld, and - last minute - Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado. However, with the presence of winning queen Lucinda Brand and Shirin van Anrooij, we could probably expect an exciting duel.
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2007 |  Maryline Salvetat |
| 2006 |  Hanka Kupfernagel |
| 2005 |  Daphny van den Brand |
| 2004 | Hanka Kupfernagel |
| 2003 | Hanka Kupfernagel |
Brand creates first selection
Before the start, almost all eyes were on Brand, but the multiple winner got slightly boxed in at the start. The Baloise Glowi Lions rider therefore was not the first to enter the field. That honor went to the surprising Judith Krahl. The relatively unknown German experienced her moment of fame in the opening minutes, but Brand overtook her quite quickly.
The top favorite meanwhile had revved up her engine and made the first selection already in the opening lap. This also seemed to be the decisive move for a moment, but Manon Bakker and – with some delay – Van Anrooij managed to bridge across. Bakker clearly felt at home in Hofstade and boldly took over the lead from Brand, but the latter quickly responded sharply to her compatriot.
Manon Bakker managed to distinguish herself once again - photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
By far the strongest
With a particularly strong sand section, Brand broke away again in the second lap and never relinquished this lead. The two chasers initially stayed close to leader Brand, but after about twenty minutes of racing, Van Anrooij and Bakker began to weaken, and the gap started to grow visibly. After three (out of six) laps, Brand’s lead had already grown to around twenty seconds.
In the final phase, Brand’s victory was never seriously in doubt. The almost flawless Dutchwoman soloed seemingly effortlessly to her thirteenth win of the season, further extending her advantage in the X2O Badkamers Trophy standings. There was still some tension regarding the battle for second place, as Brand and Van Anrooij were closely matched.
On paper the stronger Van Anrooij made several attempts to drop Bakker, but the Crelan-Corendon rider was not willing to give in easily. However, she eventually had to concede in the final stages, with Van Anrooij taking second place across the line, ahead of Bakker, who claimed her first podium finish of the season in a GC race.
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photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
Afterwards, we awaited the arrival of Laura Verdonschot. The Belgian, who will retire after this cyclocross season, finished fourth.
🚵🇧🇪 | Overwinning nummer 13 is een feit voor Lucinda Brand. Op het strand van Hofstade is ze met afstand de beste. 🇳🇱
📺 Stream cross op HBO Max! pic.twitter.com/MBTVFspo4j
— Eurosport Nederland (@Eurosport_NL) December 22, 2025
X²O Badkamers Trofee - Hofstade Plage Cross| Rank | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 45:47 | |
| 2 | + 22 | |
| 3 | + 25 | |
| 4 | + 01:42 | |
| 5 | + 01:59 | |
| 6 | + 02:24 | |
| 7 | + 02:52 | |
| 8 | " | |
| 9 | + 02:53 | |
| 10 | + 03:21 |
| Rank | Rider | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lucinda Brand | 04:32:25 | |
| 2 | Manon Bakker | 04:44:15 | |
| 3 | Julie Brouwers | 04:51:39 | |
| 4 | (2) | Marion Norbert Riberolle | 04:52:41 |
| 5 | (1) | Inge van der Heijden | 04:52:55 |
| 6 | (1) | Aniek van Alphen | 04:55:04 |
| 7 |  Sara Casasola | 04:56:00 | |
| 8 | (12) |  Zoe Backstedt | 04:56:22 |
| 9 | (1) | Annemarie Worst | 04:56:52 |
| 10 | (1) |  Kristýna Zemanová | 04:57:08 |
