Lucinda Brand wins 20th race of the season in Sint-Niklaas

Lucinda Brand won the Waaslandcross in Sint-Niklaas on Saturday. After more than fifty minutes of racing solo, the world champion ultimately took the victory. European champion Inge van der Heijden finished second, with Marion Norbert Riberolle securing third place.

The women's cyclocross season is still hot and happening. At the start in Sint-Niklaas, we saw the world champion, the European champion, the French champion, the Dutch champion, and the Belgian champion all lined up.

Van der Heijden, Brand, and Norbert Riberolle active
In the opening lap, Inge van der Heijden showed eagerness, but she was immediately joined by the big names like Amandine Fouquenet, Marion Norbert Riberolle, Lucinda Brand, and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado.

World champion Brand made several attacks in the following laps, but the different national champion jerseys were always able to catch back on her after a while.

Midway through the race, it was Norbert Riberolle who managed to open a significant gap over her rivals. Was she on course for a surprising victory? It certainly seemed so, as with three laps to go, the Belgian held a fifteen-second lead over Van der Heijden, Brand, and Alvarado.

Brand seizes the win
Yet, everything came back together. In the final minutes of the race, it was Brand who struck hard to claim her 20th victory of the season. Van der Heijden finished second, and Norbert Riberolle took third.