After weeks of anticipation, Annemarie Worst will pin on a number for the first time this winter when she lines up at the X2O Trofee in Hamme on Sunday. Seven Racing confirmed her return, noting that her recovery from a crash at the Simac Ladies Tour had taken “longer than hoped”, but that the Dutch rider has been eagerly awaiting this moment.
Her delayed start echoes the challenges she faced last season, when a late return following a covid infection slowed her momentum. Despite that, she re-established herself as a fixture inside the top five, even if she never quite reached her peak form. A broken hand later disrupted the second half of her campaign. The schedule beyond Hamme is yet to be confirmed, but simply getting back into competition feels like a significant step.
Fleur Moors is also back in action as Belgian talent targets a fresh start
Friday brought more good news for the women’s peloton: Fleur Moors will make her long-awaited comeback at the Superprestige round in Merksplas. The 20-year-old, who has juggled a promising road and cyclocross career, has been sidelined since last winter after sinus issues abruptly ended her cross season and later disrupted her spring and early summer on the road.
Moors showed flashes of her potential earlier this year, winning Dwars door de Westhoek and taking bronze at the Belgian Championships in Binche, only for further setbacks to follow. A fractured radius forced her out of the Giro d’Italia Donne, and an illness just before the Road Worlds in Rwanda saw her withdraw at the last moment.
Even so, her desire to return to the field has been clear for months. A former junior national champion in cyclocross, she was a consistent top-10 rider last winter before her troubles began. With Lidl-Trek in the summer and Baloise Glowi Lions in the winter, she now bolsters a squad that had been relying heavily on Lucinda Brand while waiting on the return of Shirin van Anrooij.
Lucinda Brand on the brink of a remarkable 50-race podium streak
While two riders make their comebacks, Lucinda Brand stands on the cusp of a milestone few could have imagined. The Baloise Glowi Lions leader is currently on a 48 consecutive podium finishes streak in cyclocross. If she finishes inside the top three in both Merksplas on Saturday and Hamme on Sunday, she will extend that streak to a remarkable 50 races.
Brand has not missed the podium since the 2024 World Cup round in Benidorm. Her run began, fittingly, in Hamme on 27 January 2024, and she has been flawless ever since. Across those 48 races, she has taken 20 victories, 21 second places, and just 7 third places, a level of consistency unmatched in the modern era.
Both Merksplas and Hamme have suited her well in recent years. She finished second in each race last season, although Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado proved the quicker rider on both occasions. Fem van Empel denied her in Hamme the previous year. With neither Alvarado nor Van Empel present this weekend, Brand has a clear chance to extend one of the most impressive streaks in cyclocross history.
A weekend of returns, a milestone in sight, and two major series races on the calendar: the women’s cyclocross scene is about to get a significant injection of firepower.
