Perfect Weekend for Lucinda Brand: Dutch Rider Also Wins Rapencross

Lucinda Brand won the Rapencross in Lokeren on Sunday. After an exciting race, the Dutch rider finished ahead of Marion Norbert Riberolle and Sara Casasola. For Brand, it was a perfect weekend: she had already won the Koppenbergcross on Saturday.

The day after the opener of the X2O Badkamers Trofee on the Koppenberg, the riders were given another chance. The Rapencross in Lokeren is a relatively young race, but one that has everything a modern cyclocross should have. Overall, it is quite a fast course, but due to rainfall, many corners, and the Mont Henri climb, it was a challenging cyclocross.

In the absence of world champion Fem van Empel—who had to skip due to (the after-effects of) illness—the focus was mainly on Lucinda Brand and Sara Casasola, who finished first and third at the Koppenbergcross. The experienced Brand is once again the model of consistency this season, but Casasola showed in Overijse that the Dutch rider can be beaten. Would we see another Dutch-Italian duel for victory?

After the first two laps, it seemed the anticipated scenario was unfolding, as the fast-starting Casasola and Brand led after about fifteen minutes of racing. However, Aniek van Alphen, Leonie Bentveld, and Inge van der Heijden were still following at a good pace at that moment. By the end of the second lap, they made contact with the leaders.

Five riders battle it out for the win
These five riders fought it out among themselves for victory. Marion Norbert Riberolle, who was sixth in the race, was trailing just behind them but seemed short of making the podium. Among the front five, Van Alphen looked particularly strong. Several times she took control to force a gap, putting Bentveld and Van der Heijden under increasing pressure.

Yet it was Casasola who attacked just before the halfway point, shortly after Brand had a small slip. Was the Italian on her way to victory? It seemed so, until she fell twice in quick succession, changing the dynamics of the race entirely. Suddenly, Brand was in the lead, with Bentveld close behind.

In the final lap, the Dutch rider maintained her 23-second advantage to secure her second win of the weekend. Behind her, the fight for second place remained quite intense. Norbert Riberolle made a desperate attempt to reach the podium, but saw Van Alphen and Casasola catch up to her. Ultimately, the Belgian champion managed to take second place.