Lucinda Brand dominates again in Sardinia, Shirin van Anrooij scores first podium in nearly two years

Lucinda Brand has won the World Cup cyclo-cross race in Sardinia. In Terralba, the Dutch cyclo-cross rider was on the attack for almost the entire race, before crossing the line solo after 50 minutes. Aniek van Alphen finished second ahead of Shirin van Anrooij, who took her first podium in cyclo-cross since December 22, 2023.

Sunday finally featured the World Cup round in Sardinia on the calendar. One year after the cancellation due to severe weather, the organizers of the World Cup cyclo-cross found a beautiful course along the coast in the village of Terralba. With Brand, Sara Casasola, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, Aniek van Alphen, and Leonie Bentveld, there were quite a few top riders at the start in Sicily, although only five women competed who were not from Belgium, the Netherlands, or host country Italy—the lowest number ever in a World Cup race.

The spectacular course through the old town of Terralba and along the coastline made up for that. The women themselves also turned it into an exciting race at the start. Already in the first lap, Brand immediately took control. The Dordrecht cyclo-cross rider from Baloise Glowi Lions impressed the rest of the field on the muddy section of the course but each time saw a strong Casasola, Van Alphen, and the rapidly rising Shirin van Anrooij come back. After fourteen minutes, we saw Alvarado step out of the race for unclear reasons.

That was also the moment Brand definitively knew how to break away. On the muddy course, the Dutch rider could put her power to good use, allowing her to escape from her rivals. Behind Brand, Van Anrooij and Van Alphen seemed set to battle for second place, as Brand's lead after 25 minutes had grown to more than twenty seconds.

In the final laps, Brand faced no more trouble, securing her fifth consecutive victory. Van Alphen managed to shake off Van Anrooij in the last lap to take second place. Casasola finished a disappointing fourth on home soil.

🇮🇹 🚵 | There’s the next win for Lucinda Brand. She wins in Sardinia! 👏

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— Eurosport Nederland (@Eurosport_NL) December 7, 2025