Lucinda Brand starts 2026 with dominant win in X2O Trophy Baal

Lucinda Brand has started the new year with a convincing victory. At the X2O Trofee Baal, the Baloise Verzekeringen-Het Poetsbureau Lions rider was unstoppable. Puck Pieterse finished second, Zoe Bäckstedt took third. Thanks to her win, Brand is also certain of the overall victory in the X2O Badkamers Trofee.

On January 1st, the traditional GP Sven Nys was on the schedule in Baal. Among the women at the start were Puck Pieterse and the reigning queen of victories, Lucinda Brand. However, the best start went to Jolanda Neff. The Swiss mountain biker pushed the pace in the first lap, but Zoe Bäckstedt, Pieterse, and Brand were waiting in ambush.

Pieterse then slipped on the stairs, losing some positions. Brand didn’t wait, stormed past Neff, and pressed on. She quickly opened a gap over the competition. Behind her, Pieterse rode into second place, but after two laps, the Dutch national champion was already twenty seconds behind. Bäckstedt, in third, followed at more than half a minute back.

Brand Doubles Up
In the subsequent laps, the situation barely changed. Brand didn’t extend her lead much further, but Pieterse also didn’t come any closer. Thus, Brand soloed to her thirteenth consecutive win. Thanks to her victory, she is also assured of the overall title in the X2O Badkamers Trofee. Although two races remain, Manon Bakker, who sits second in the standings, cannot catch her anymore.

Pieterse, who still rode a strong final lap, ultimately finished twelve seconds behind in Baal as second. Bäckstedt completed the podium.