Lucinda Brand wins Superprestige Merksplas 2026 three days after Niel injury

Lucinda Brand made an immediate return to winning at the 2026 Superprestige Merksplas, three days after an ankle injury forced her out of Niel. The world champion survived a relentlessly contested eight-lap Aardbeiencross and finally separated herself in the sand on the last circuit, finishing in 49:58, two seconds ahead of Inge van der Heijden and three clear of Sara Casasola.

The narrow gaps reflected a race in which attempts to break clear were repeatedly answered. Casasola attacked throughout the afternoon, while Fem van Empel, Denise Betsema and Aniek van Alphen each spent time in the front group. Brand was rarely able to put daylight between herself and the others until the final passage through the course’s defining obstacle.

It was Brand’s fourth Merksplas victory, following successes in 2020, 2021 and 2025. Van Alphen, fourth at nine seconds, remained the overall Superprestige leader at the halfway point of the eight-round competition.

How it unfolded

Saturday’s Aardbeiencross was a different prospect from the muddy ordeal at Niel earlier in the week. The redesigned Merksplas course was fast and comparatively dry, with the sandpit providing the clearest opportunity for riders to gain time. Brand had sprained her ankle and withdrawn in the opening lap at Niel, but started in Merksplas with her ankle supported by tape.

Amandine Fouquenet made the quickest start, yet the leading riders were unable to establish a sustained gap. Van Empel showed particularly good control through the sand, an advantage on a circuit where mounting and dismounting could interrupt a rider’s momentum more severely than the straighter, faster sections.

The field stayed unusually compact through the early laps. This favoured riders who could repeatedly regain contact after a difficult sand passage, but it also meant that every fresh acceleration forced the favourites to respond without much opportunity to recover.

Brand tests the field as Casasola keeps attacking

Brand made her first substantial move on lap four. She rode decisively through the sand and moved clear enough to string the leading group out, with Casasola, Van der Heijden and Betsema the first to respond. It was an indication that the world champion could still produce the sharp efforts needed on the technical sections, despite the injury scare on Wednesday.

One lap later she repeated the move, but Casasola and Van der Heijden stayed close. Casasola then took over as the principal aggressor, driving the pace to prevent the leading group from settling. The Italian champion repeatedly forced her rivals to chase, although she could not sustain an advantage on a course where the faster stretches allowed riders to bring one another back.

Further regrouping brought Van Empel, Van Alphen and Leonie Bentveld back into contention. For much of the race the first several positions changed quickly, with little to separate the riders who were strongest in the sand from those able to make up time on the rest of the circuit.

That pattern also kept the result difficult to predict. Brand looked capable of opening the decisive gap but had not broken the resistance of her closest challengers; Casasola’s repeated efforts showed strength but were costing energy; and Van der Heijden was consistently well placed without committing to the same succession of attacks.

A final sand passage decides the race

By the last lap, Brand, Casasola and Van der Heijden had emerged as the three principal contenders. All had already spent time on the front, and none had built a lead that could be defended through an entire circuit. The key question was who would negotiate the sand cleanly enough to maintain speed into the final sections.

Brand again found the decisive line. She was the only rider able to complete the last sandpit passage without a consequential mistake, taking several bike lengths at the moment when Casasola and Van der Heijden could least afford to lose momentum. The gap was small, but there was not enough course remaining to bring her back.

Van der Heijden finished two seconds behind, securing second ahead of her Crelan-Corendon teammate Casasola by a single second. Van Alphen was fourth at nine seconds, followed by Bentveld at 13. Van Empel crossed the line 16 seconds down, with Betsema seventh at 18 seconds.

Kristýna Zemanová, Julie Brouwers and Niel winner Manon Bakker completed the top ten. Only 34 seconds separated the winner from tenth, underlining just how different Merksplas had been from the long solo performances seen in earlier rounds.

Brand’s return changes the picture without changing the series leader

The victory added another chapter to Brand’s record at Merksplas, but its significance was also immediate. Her withdrawal at Niel had raised doubts about how quickly she could race again, and she answered them by winning against a group who kept the pressure on until the final metres.

The podium was not secured through a dominant early escape. Brand had to make repeated selections, respond to Casasola’s accelerations and commit to the sand even when the advantage was measured in a few seconds. Her timing, rather than a large difference in strength, ultimately settled the result.

In the overall Superprestige, Van Alphen retained first place with 52 points. Van der Heijden’s runner-up finish moved her within two points on 50, with Betsema third on 46. Next on the racing calendar is Sunday’s X²O Trophy at Hamme-Zogge, a different series in which Brand also holds the overall lead.

Superprestige Merksplas women 2026 result