Lucinda Brand has spent most of this winter making cyclo-cross look like a solved problem, but with the world championships now looming in Hulst, the Lidl-Trek rider is insisting the title is far from hers to lose.
Brand has been the standout performer of the women’s elite season. Across 23 starts she has won 18 times, finished second on three occasions and taken one third place, before her run of 63 consecutive podium finishes finally ended with tenth in Maasmechelen. With the feeling “not good” a week out from the worlds, she then chose to skip Hoogerheide, a decision that has only sharpened the questions around where she stands heading into the biggest weekend of the winter.
Speaking in the Alpecin Barbershop, Brand pointed back to recent warning signs that even her remarkable consistency has had limits.
“On the Dutch nationals I also had a bad day,” she said a few days before Benidorm. “Those kinds of days prove how you have to cherish such a streak, how well it’s actually been going up to that point.”
Hulst may suit the chasers more than the season leader expects
On results alone, Brand would normally arrive as the clear rider to beat, particularly with defending champion Fem van Empel pausing her career. Brand understands why many will still view her as the top pick, but she believes the shape of the Hulst course could narrow the gap.
“I understand that many people think that because of all the races I’ve won,” she said. “But you see in the last weeks more riders coming closer to my level. The type of course in Hulst maybe suits them a bit better too.”
Brand stopped short of accepting the outright favourite label, and instead pushed the pressure in a different direction.
“I wouldn’t say I’m the absolute top favourite, no. We can nicely put that in the shoes of Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, right?” she laughed, before adding another name to the conversation as the final weekend of racing sharpened the picture.
Pieterse and Alvarado arrive with the timing you want before worlds
Brand’s comments come after a weekend in which Puck Pieterse underlined her form with back-to-back wins in Maasmechelen and Hoogerheide, each time ahead of Alvarado. Brand herself was not at Hoogerheide, having already secured overall victory in the World Cup, but she acknowledged what the results suggested about the balance of power shifting closer to Hulst.
“Of course Ceylin remains a favourite, but Puck has also clearly shown last weekend that she is completely ready,” Brand said. “Puck can also cope really well with the course in Hulst.”
Beyond the leading Dutch contenders, Brand also pointed to Amandine Fouquenet as a rider capable of disrupting the expected script if the race fractures early or conditions turn the course into a more tactical contest.
Brand, meanwhile, leads the X2O Trofee and has already wrapped up the World Cup overall, two markers of how relentless her winter has been even with a late wobble. The worlds, though, asks a different question: not who has been best across months, but who can be best for one hour when everything is on the line.
From Hulst to the road: Brand’s Roubaix ambition is getting louder
Once the worlds are done, Brand’s focus switches quickly to the road, where she is targeting a steadier campaign than the disrupted rhythm of the past year. The 36-year-old extended her contract by a year in 2025, and she is clear that she still has unfinished business on the biggest stages.
“I’m aiming for a stable season,” she said. “But I still have a very big dream in Paris-Roubaix, honestly. Whether that works is another thing, but I always find it really nice to work towards.”
Brand also left the door open to a Tour de France Femmes stage win, even if she knows a race can be judged in more ways than simply victories.
“It’s also a nice ambition to maybe try again to win a stage in the Tour de France Femmes. Although you can also ride a good Tour of France without winning a stage.”
Why Roubaix fits her idea of the perfect race
Brand’s fascination with Roubaix has grown with the women’s race becoming a fixed point on the calendar, and she described it in terms that will sound familiar to any rider who loves the mix of skill and stress.
“Only when that race came on the calendar for women. Before that we didn’t have it,” she said. “But since the moment it’s been there, I’ve been enthusiastic. It’s a certain kick, I really find it fantastic.”
“I’m already smiling just thinking about it. It’s a mix of chaos, a certain technique you need to steer over the cobbles, pure power and, in the end, also tactics. I think Paris-Roubaix is the most beautiful match for our sport, actually.”
For now, though, the focus remains on Hulst, where Brand’s winter dominance meets a course she believes could bring her closest rivals into play, and where the world title will be decided not by streaks, but by one day’s legs.
