Lucinda Brand wins Kermiscross Ardooie 2026 ahead of Marie Schreiber

Lucinda Brand made it two wins in two starts to the 2026–27 cyclocross season with victory at Kermiscross Ardooie on Thursday 15 October. The world champion finished alone in 51:32, seventeen seconds ahead of Marie Schreiber, with Denise Betsema taking third at 29 seconds. Brand followed Sunday’s narrow Dendermonde success with a more comfortable margin after making the decisive move from a reduced front group.

Schreiber put together a committed chase but was unable to close the gap, while Betsema confirmed her form with a second podium in a week. Hélène Clauzel finished fourth, 50 seconds behind, and Rebecca Gariboldi was fifth at 57 seconds. The top ten included a mixture of established contenders and riders building towards the winter’s major races.

For Brand, winning in Ardooie carried an extra historical distinction. She had also won in 2025, becoming the first woman to win back-to-back editions since the women’s event joined the programme in 2015. The victory extended a productive opening week in which she had been tested in two very different finales.

How it unfolded

A front group of roughly eight riders developed early in the afternoon, with Brand present from the start but facing determined competition from Schreiber, Betsema and the other specialists. On a course that rewards repeated bursts of speed, no rider was able to establish a decisive margin during the first portion of the race.

By the midpoint, the leading selection had been reduced significantly. Brand increased the pressure through the technical sections, steadily breaking up the group and forcing the others to commit energy whenever the gaps began to grow. The most dangerous responses came from Schreiber, who remained willing to chase rather than settle for second.

Brand eventually rode clear and controlled the remaining distance. Schreiber made a final attempt to recover the gap but could not pull back the world champion. Betsema held third, continuing the strong week she began by finishing only two seconds behind Brand in Dendermonde.

Clauzel arrived fourth at 50 seconds, while Gariboldi stayed inside a minute in fifth. Alicia Franck was sixth at 1:22, followed by Lucia Bramati at 1:37. Marion Norbert Riberolle took eighth at 2:04, with Julie Brouwers and Kiona Crabbé completing the first ten places.

Photo Credit: David Pintens/Belga/Getty

Brand’s second victory was a different kind of win

Brand’s first win of the season in Dendermonde came in a close three-way contest. Both Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado and Denise Betsema reached her in the closing lap before Brand launched another acceleration. In Ardooie, the same ability to sustain a hard tempo was visible, but she established a clearer gap and defended it without the prospect of a last-corner sprint.

That variety is encouraging for a rider beginning a long cyclocross campaign. The key is not simply that Brand has won two races, but that she has already had to cope with rivals closing her down in one event and a determined pursuit in the next. She has found different ways of protecting the lead, and neither course has required ideal conditions.

Schreiber’s seventeen-second deficit does not diminish her performance. She was the strongest of the riders trying to bridge back to Brand and gave herself a chance by attacking the chase rather than waiting for a group sprint. That willingness to commit may matter even more on a technical course where a rider can create a gap in one section and defend it through the next.

Betsema’s third place reinforces the impression that she has started October in competitive shape. It is particularly notable given the quality of riders contesting both events. She has finished on the podium twice in five days, and her consistency makes her a credible challenger when the next HG Cross takes place.

The move towards Saturday’s Meulebeke race

There is little pause in the Belgian cyclocross calendar. The HG Cross moves to Meulebeke on Saturday 17 October, where the Berencross has a revised circuit at Ter Borcht. The large bridge has been removed and the riders will take on much of the course in the opposite direction, with a sandpit, short banks, steps and a washboard section still in place.

Brand will be among the leading favourites, but Meulebeke is not simply a repeat of Dendermonde or Ardooie. Inge van der Heijden, last year’s winner, should be comfortable with the venue even after finishing fifth at Dendermonde. Alvarado and Schreiber also have the speed to challenge if they can avoid giving Brand an early advantage.

The women’s field also includes Fem van Empel, returning to cyclocross after an extended absence. Her previous record makes her important to watch, but a first race back offers little certainty about form. If she starts quickly, it could alter the opening laps; if she needs time to settle, the established leaders may be able to force an early separation.

Ardooie leaves the clearest recent evidence with Brand. Two races have produced two wins, and the margins have grown from one second over her nearest rival to seventeen. The opposition at Meulebeke now has to decide whether to try to isolate her early or conserve enough energy to challenge in the final laps.

Kermiscross Ardooie Women 2026 Result