Ceylin Alvarado ends Lucinda Brand’s winning streak after snowcross full of twists in Zonhoven
Lucinda Brand had secured thirteen consecutive victories, but her winning streak was broken at the Zonhoven World Cup. Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado took the win after a spectacular snow-cross. Brand finished second, strengthening her lead in the World Cup standings. Puck Pieterse claimed third place.
After the GP Sven Nys, Lucinda Brand skipped the races in Mol and Gullegem, but at Zonhoven, the dominant figure in women's cyclocross returned. Naturally, the 36-year-old Baloise Verzekeringen-Het Poetsbureau Lions rider was the top favorite. On paper, the main challengers were Puck Pieterse, Amandine Fouquenet, and Ceylin Alvarado. They were not going to give up easily in the snow of Zonhoven.
Spectacular start
That was evident right from the start, as Pieterse got the best launch. Behind her came Leonie Bentveld, and then Brand. Pieterse immediately opened a gap, but Brand saw the danger and closed it straight away. Alvarado joined in as well, so it looked early on like a three-way battle was shaping up. However, in the infamous 'Kuil,' all three riders crashed. First, Pieterse flipped over, Brand nearly fell shortly after, and then Alvarado tumbled over the World Cup leader.
After they all got back up, Pieterse was once again in front. Brand seemed to be coming back later but after a slip and a subsequent chain problem, she lost a lot of ground. After the first lap, she was through in fifth. Leading were Pieterse, Bentveld, Van Alphen, and Alvarado—in that order. Shirin van Anrooij was still in the mix, 21 seconds behind Pieterse.
Brand takes the lead after all
In the second of six laps, Brand quickly moved up to second place. She led the chase on Pieterse and dropped Bentveld and Van Alphen. Alvarado, hanging on by a thread, managed to latch on. Both caught up to Pieterse again in the third lap. At the end of that lap, Pieterse slipped on the slick course, giving Brand the initiative. The three riders crossed the halfway point within a few seconds of each other: Alvarado was three seconds back, Pieterse five. Everything was still open.
Half a lap later, the gaps had already widened considerably. Especially Pieterse, who lost a lot of time after changing bikes. She quickly fell more than twenty seconds behind Brand. Brand now mostly had to watch out for Alvarado. The Fenix-Premier Tech rider was ten seconds behind after four of six laps. But that gap shrank significantly when Brand crashed hard at the start of the fifth lap.
Brand versus Alvarado
Alvarado then came back even stronger. In fact, she passed the World Cup leader when Brand went into the transition zone. In no time, the gap was over ten seconds. Suddenly, Alvarado held the best cards, but at the start of the final lap, victory was far from certain. Brand had come back to within seven seconds. Pieterse, who crashed again in the background, was out of contention for the win. She was already more than half a minute behind.
It was therefore a battle between Alvarado and Brand. Brand managed to catch back mid-way through the last lap. She took the lead immediately to pressure her rival. It worked, as Alvarado had to give a few meters. But at that moment, Brand made another mistake and had to put her foot down. Alvarado passed her and quickly opened a gap. She never gave up her advantage and secured her second win of the season.
She crossed the finish line second. Although her winning streak was broken, she finished on the podium for the 61st consecutive time. Moreover, she extended her lead in the World Cup standings. Behind Alvarado and Brand, Pieterse took third.
