Sara Casasola achieved the biggest victory of her cyclocross career on Sunday. In Overijse, she engaged in a thrilling duel with Lucinda Brand, but the Dutch rider crashed hard in the penultimate lap. Casasola had broken away and convincingly soloed to her second win in a classification race. Brand still took second place, ahead of Aniek van Alphen.
After several weeks of lightning-fast courses, the cyclocross riders faced two tough powercrosses this weekend. After the sand sprint at Heerderstrand, Sunday was the time for the 'Mother of all Crosses' in Overijse. This true cyclocross classic offered something for everyone: rain, wind, mud, slanted slopes, treacherous descents, and above all, lots of elevation. In short, the riders were set for a real cyclocross battle.
In Ardooie, Ruddervoorde, and Essen, the field stayed tightly packed for a long time, with several riders in contention for victory. But in Overijse, the focus was mainly on a showdown between Lucinda Brand (already successful in Ardooie and Essen) and World Champion Fem van Empel (wins in Woerden and at Heerderstrand) for the win. However, Van Empel was not fit enough to race a day after her fiftieth cyclocross victory to even wear a race number.
Strong start for Brand
So, only 32 women took to the field for six tough laps in Overijse. Brand was the first to take the initiative. In the first lap, she rode out front with Kata Blanka Vas — who has returned to cyclocross — but at the first crossing of the finish line, Sara Casasola and Aniek van Alphen caught up.
photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
It was the Italian from Crelan-Corendon who decided to raise the pace at the start of the second lap. This forced Vas to lose considerable ground. This left three leaders, with Inge van der Heijden close behind, but there was still plenty of time to make a decisive gap. Brand, however, was not planning to let the pace drop.
Which of the three?
The leader from Baloise Glowi Lions pulled out all the stops in an attempt to shake off her two remaining rivals, but Casasola held her ground. Van Alphen clearly struggled more to keep up but wasn’t ready to give up and stayed close to Brand and Casasola. However, when Casasola accelerated again, Van Alphen had to show her colors. She gradually lost more time: with two laps to go, her deficit had grown to nearly ten seconds.
Van Alphen did not have to worry about her third place, though, as the gap to the first chasers — Van der Heijden and the French Amandine Fouquenet — was over half a minute. Meanwhile, in the background, we witnessed a strong comeback by Marion Norbert-Riberolle, who had started poorly and spent a long time chasing, and the collapse of Vas, who had to pay the price for her good start.
photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
Crash decides Brand-Casasola duel
At the front of the race, the duel between Brand and Casasola had reached its sporting climax. Brand employed her usual race tactics, repeatedly attacking to wear down the Italian, but the tenacious Casasola kept up a steady pace. Even more so: after Brand crashed — catching on a post — the roles suddenly reversed entirely.
Brand went down at high speed and quickly got back on her bike, but at the start of the final lap, she faced a ten-second deficit. This gap proved insurmountable, as a strong Casasola did not falter and rode cleanly through the technical sections. The Italian steadily pulled further away from Brand in the last lap, having all the time to celebrate her second victory in a classification race.
Watch Sara Casasola’s finish here via Eurosport
🚵🇧🇪 | Another success for Sara Casasola in the Superprestige of Overijse! The Italian beats Lucinda Brand, though it’s unfortunate a crash decided the outcome.
📺 Stream the race on HBO Max pic.twitter.com/cL5zEVqaqM
— Eurosport Nederland (@Eurosport_NL) October 26, 2025
Telenet Superprestige Overijse| Rank | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 45:53 | |
| 2 | + 28 | |
| 3 | + 37 | |
| 4 | + 01:39 | |
| 5 | + 01:53 | |
| 6 | + 02:14 | |
| 7 | + 02:21 | |
| 8 | + 02:43 | |
| 9 | " | |
| 10 | + 02:51 |
