Lucinda Brand is on the start list for the X²O Badkamers Trofee in Hamme-Zogge on Sunday, 15th November, despite the ankle scare that ended her race at Niel earlier in the week. The world and European champion starts as the series leader and the rider everyone else must measure themselves against. Yet the question is no longer simply whether Brand can ride away from the field. After Wednesday’s painful abandonment, it is whether she can reproduce her usual authority on a demanding return to the Bollekescross course.
At 13:45 in Belgium, 12:45 in the UK, a substantial field comes to the meadows around Zogge, with Amandine Fouquenet, Sara Casasola, Hélène Clauzel, Inge van der Heijden, Manon Bakker and Denise Betsema all named on the official entry sheet. The return of the historic event after 13 years adds another layer to the second round of an eight-race competition decided by accumulated time rather than a conventional points table.
Brand’s recovery changes the balance of the contest
Brand won the opening X²O round on the Koppenberg on 1st November, breaking clear of Casasola and the other early challengers before riding alone to the finish. It was a commanding performance with a purpose beyond taking the day’s victory. Her margin of 53 seconds over Casasola became a useful first deposit in the overall classification, where a small gain made now can matter when the series ends in February.
The picture changed at Niel on Wednesday. Brand lost her line while negotiating a rise, put her foot down awkwardly and was forced to abandon in obvious discomfort. Subsequent checks found no serious damage. Her team subsequently confirmed its intention to race in Merksplas on Saturday and Hamme-Zogge on Sunday, but a name on a start list is not the same as a guarantee of full fitness. There is also the cumulative fatigue of consecutive weekend races to consider.
For her rivals, the tactical decision is awkward. If Brand is fully mobile, allowing her to settle into a high rhythm could repeat the Koppenberg experience. Attacking early could instead force her to respond while she is still testing her movement on the off-camber sections and during dismounts. None of that establishes she is impaired; it explains why the opening laps should tell us more than usual about her condition.
Fouquenet and Casasola bring different threats
Amandine Fouquenet, listed third by UCI ranking on the supplied entry sheet, has the pace to convert an aggressive opening into a contest rather than a Brand procession. The French rider was fifth on the Koppenberg, and her fifth place in the time-based standings leaves a deficit of 2:27 to the leader. That looks a considerable margin so early in the winter, but an eight-round series can turn on a single heavy afternoon. The important challenge on Sunday is to prevent the gap growing while seeking an opportunity to take time back.
Sara Casasola is a particularly important name because she begins this round just 53 seconds behind Brand in the series. The Italian champion is confirmed on the supplied entry list, wearing number 10. Her second place on the Koppenberg showed the ability to limit the damage after Brand accelerated; on a course where corners, grass and changes in traction disrupt sustained power, a clean ride could bring her into closer contact with the defending favourite.
Hélène Clauzel was fourth at the season opener and is fourth in the overall time classification at 2:09. Her aggressive start at the Koppenberg demonstrated that she does not need to wait for the established favourites to dictate the pace. Fellow French rider Perrine Clauzel also appears on the Hamme sheet. Those names matter in a field that can produce several small groups rather than a simple two-rider chase.
Bakker’s Niel win adds another contender
Manon Bakker arrives having taken the Superprestige victory at Niel after Brand withdrew. That outcome should not be reduced to an accidental win: Bakker still had to complete the race ahead of the remaining field, and doing so provides immediate confidence before another high-level Belgian cross. She is number three on the supplied Hamme entry list and will be one to watch if the race becomes a contest of repeated accelerations rather than a continuous solo effort.
Inge van der Heijden is also included, ranked seventh on the sheet, and brings the strength to stay close when conditions demand repeated changes of speed. Leonie Bentveld, Denise Betsema and Annamarie Worst offer further Dutch depth. Betsema is sixth in the current X²O classification at 2:31, close enough to the riders ahead that a strong second round could make a sizeable difference to her series position.
Kristýna Zemanová is among the most interesting younger names on the sheet, alongside British starters Xan Crees, Anna Flynn, Amy Perryman and Grace Inglis The British contingent has its own race within the race, with the chance to measure performances against a field headed by some of the best riders in the discipline. The difference between a top-five challenge and a top-ten finish may come down to avoiding one costly error in the technical sections.
A familiar Hamme name but a revived Bollekescross course
The race returns to Hamme-Zogge after a 13-year absence from the original Bollekescross location. Organisers say the layout closely follows the old course, with racing around the meadows near the village church. The start, finish and event zone sit around Boschmansstraatje. That is useful context for spectators and for anyone comparing this edition with recent racing elsewhere in Hamme.
The event should not be confused with the recent Flandriencross run in Hamme itself. Brand won that separate race in 2025, but Sunday’s organisers are deliberately reviving the Zogge Bollekescross identity and course. The distinction matters when looking at past winners, terrain and the way riders might approach the route. Our Hamme-Zogge race history explains the earlier editions and the relationship between the events.
Predictions about precise lap conditions remain dependent on the weather and the passage of earlier categories. The course uses grassy fields, and rain could create heavy, slippery passages; equally, a firmer line can form where riders repeatedly pass through the same corner. The riders who judge tyre pressure and choose their lines efficiently can save energy without ever looking spectacular on camera. Slips or a poorly timed pit visit can make more difference than a single powerful acceleration.
The X²O time classification raises the stakes
The competition rewards the fastest accumulated race time, with its own timing rules and bonuses, not simply the highest finishing position each weekend. Brand leads Casasola by 53 seconds after the Koppenbergcross, while Marie Schreiber is third at 1:42. Schreiber is not on the supplied Hamme women’s start list, which is consequential for the early shape of the standings. Clauzel is next at 2:09 and Fouquenet follows at 2:27.
A winning move by Brand could create a larger buffer before the series continues to Beringen. Conversely, if rivals can keep the race compact, even a few seconds recovered today will change the calculations for later rounds. Riders outside the headline battle have something tangible to race for too: a top-ten placing accompanied by a small deficit protects the possibility of a better overall classification. For a fuller breakdown, see our guide to how the X²O Trophy time standings work.
Start time, start list and watching from the UK
The elite women’s race begins on Sunday at 13:45 CET, which is 12:45 GMT in the UK. The men’s elite race follows at 15:00 CET, or 14:00 GMT. Junior and under-23 categories run earlier in the day. The official women’s entry sheet includes Brand, Fouquenet, Bakker, Van der Heijden, Zemanová, Bentveld, Betsema, Julie Brouwers, Clauzel, Casasola, Rebecca Gariboldi, Worst, Crees and a sizeable international contingent. Start lists are provisional until race-day checks and any withdrawals.
The entry numbers and UCI rankings are administrative information, not a prediction of the result. Readers looking for the complete latest broadcast arrangements should use our Hamme-Zogge women’s TV and streaming guide. The next X²O event is the Beringen cross on 22nd November; the 2026–27 cyclocross calendar sets the race in the wider winter schedule.
-
Photo Credit: Getty Images -
Photo Credit: David Pintens / Belga / AFP via Getty Images
