World champion Lucinda Brand supports Fem van Empel: "Being happy is much more important"
Five years after her cyclocross world title in Ostend, Lucinda Brand can don the rainbow jersey again. If there’s one rider who truly deserves the title of world’s best this cyclocross season, it’s the South Holland native. At 36 years old, there seems to be no sign of wear on her performances.
“Lucinda is like a fine red wine. She only gets better with age,” says Ceylin Alvarado. Until the penultimate lap, she was the only one able to keep up with her fellow Dutchwoman. Then Brand plays the game that so often sets her apart: making the race as hard as possible and letting the strongest rider prevail. Brand is not one for interval racing, with surges up and down the tempo. She prefers to ride hard for at least an entire lap and let the competition, figuratively speaking, fade in her wheel.
The world title, the overall classification in the World Cup, the consistency award in the X2O Badkamers Trophy, and no less than 19 season wins. She was on a unique streak with 63 consecutive podium finishes until last weekend, when a minor calf injury threw her off balance. In Maasmechelen, she finished only tenth and, to be sure, also had to withdraw from Hoogerheide.
No panic for Brand last week
Still, the setback, just a week before the World Championships on home soil, didn’t cause panic for Brand. “Mentally, it didn’t really throw me off,” she reflects. “Of course, that weekend wasn’t great. Mainly because I was disappointed to have raced in Maasmechelen, which isn’t my favorite course. Hoogerheide, on the other hand, suits me very well, and I had to skip that race now.”
“After the weekend, there were some doubts about how the calf injury would develop. But by Tuesday, I felt it was much better again. I cycled on the rollers and did some exercises. That naturally gave me confidence. I also knew I couldn’t fall behind my training schedule too much since the plan for this week was not to do too much riding anyway. So, my plan didn’t change much. And because I felt quick improvement myself, I didn’t dwell on it mentally.”
“I really love cycling and cyclocross. I think I’m good at focusing on something small, even in times like these. I’m not easily disturbed by what’s going on around me. Sometimes it’s a weakness when you always push forward and don’t stop to process what’s happening. In this case, it was a strength, and I grabbed it with both hands.”
Mental resilience has become an important factor in cycling in 2026. Brand sees it all around her. “Especially due to the current approach in cycling, it plays a much bigger role. As a cyclist now, you feel you have to control every little detail. Whether it’s nutrition or rest, for example. You can’t really have a social life because it takes too much energy. You’re afraid of getting sick at the wrong moment. So much emphasis is placed on details now, making the pressure to do everything perfectly immense.”
Growing into the lifestyle
Brand believes especially younger riders struggle with this. “Especially when you’re already good at a young age, you don’t get the time to grow into this lifestyle. I’ve had that time, which is why I handle it much more relaxed. Everyone has difficult periods of course. At some points in my career, it would certainly be an advantage to follow all the details. But I’m not going to weigh my food down to the exact gram every day. By not doing that continuously and not dwelling on it, I stay calm and continue to enjoy my sport. That’s why I still see how special and beautiful life as a cyclist is.”
“If you constantly focus on how many calories a slice of bread has, that will take over your whole life. Finding a good balance in your lifestyle is nowadays the hardest part of our sport.”
Support for Van Empel
On the beautiful course in Zeeland’s Hulst, Brand takes over the rainbow jersey from Fem van Empel. The Brabant rider announced on January 1 that she will stop cyclocross indefinitely. The motivation and joy in the sport she had for years had completely disappeared. Van Empel emphasized that this is the best choice for her mental health and that she wants to take the time to discover what she wants to do in the future.
Brand responded to the press conference question whether she had a message for Van Empel. “I hope Fem finds herself again and rediscovers joy in the things she does. I don’t follow her closely, but I saw on social media that she’s been on some nice trips. I think that’s very good. That she’s doing things she enjoys. Things she truly loves. That she goes to bed feeling she’s had a wonderful day. It doesn’t matter what it is. If she finds joy in cycling again, that would be great. If she never returns to racing, that’s not a problem. She already has a fantastic cycling career behind her. Cycling isn’t the most important thing in life. Being happy is much more important.”
