Lucinda Brand skates to victory on slippery Gavere

Lucinda Brand has once again won on a slippery course in Gavere. After nearly an hour of cyclocross racing, the World Cup leader managed to take the victory. Puck Pieterse had to settle for third place, losing out to Amandine Fouquenet in the battle for second.

With all the top Dutch riders at the start, the Gavere cyclocross promised to be an exciting race from the outset. Could Puck Pieterse, Shirin van Anrooij, Aniek van Alphen, or Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado challenge Brand on Friday? The icy and slippery conditions certainly increased the chances of a surprise.

We saw that immediately in the first lap. Amandine Fouquenet boldly took the lead early on, while behind her several riders slipped, including Belgian champion Marion Norbert Riberolle. By the second lap, splits had already formed: Van Anrooij managed to open a small gap on Brand and Pieterse, while 19-year-old Celia Gery and Fouquenet occupied fourth and fifth places at a short distance behind. Alvarado fell a bit further back.

However, Van Anrooij slipped at the end of the second lap and had to go to the pit. As a result, she lost several places in the race, and suddenly Brand and Pieterse were riding together. Would the two contest a duel for the win in the remainder of the race?

photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos