Lucinda Brand immediately secured a win upon her return to cyclocross. The 36-year-old rider from Baloise Glowi Lions waited patiently before launching her decisive attack in the Kermiscross Ardooie, but delivered a powerful blow in the final lap. Marion Norbert Riberolle and Inge van der Heijden also made it onto the podium.
The Kermiscross Ardooie isn’t a points race, but the organizers still managed to attract a strong field of competitors. Among the women starting was Lucinda Brand. In her first cyclocross race of the season, she faced riders including Belgian champion Marion Norbert Riberolle and Inge van der Heijden, who recently won the Exact Cross Meulebeke.
During the first of seven laps, a large group stayed together. It wasn’t until the start of the third lap that ten riders broke away, including Norbert Riberolle, Van der Heijden, and Brand. The latter opened the gas hard midway through the race. Initially, only Van der Heijden, Norbert Riberolle, and Alicia Franck could keep up, but soon after the rest managed to catch back on. The group stayed intact until the final lap. That’s where it all had to be decided.
And it did happen there. Brand surged ahead and dropped her rivals. She would cross the line solo. Norbert Riberolle finished second, Van der Heijden was third.
Kermiscross Ardooie| Rank | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 52:00 | |
| 2 | + 08 | |
| 3 | + 14 | |
| 4 | + 20 | |
| 5 | " | |
| 6 | + 25 | |
| 7 | + 41 | |
| 8 | + 49 | |
| 9 | + 51 | |
| 10 | + 56 |
