Lucinda Brand (Baloise Glowi Lions) continued her strong start to the 2025-26 cyclocross season with another victory, this time coming at Koppenbergcross, the first round of the X2O Trofee.
The Dutch veteran started her season with wins at Kermiscross Ardooie and Exact Cross Essen before taking second at the first round of the Superprestige series at Overijse.
On the famous cobbled hill of the Koppenberg, she got back to winning ways, holding off 19-year-old Frenchwoman Célia Gery (AS Bike Racing-France Literie) on the final lap to win by 19 seconds.
Further back, Italian racer Sara Casasola (Crelan-Corendon) came in at 1:23 down to round out the podium, 22 seconds up on another French rider, Hélène Clauzel.
Brand and Casasola had joined Fem Van Empel (Visma-Lease A Bike) at the head of the race earlier on, though Gery was unfazed by her more experienced rivals and managed to stay in touch over the fabled cobbled climb.
Van Empel wouldn't last up front for long, however. The word champion lost her spot partway through the opening lap of the race. She'd end up losing major ground and eventually climbing off the bike to record an emotional DNF.
Up front, Casasola tried to stamp her mark on proceedings but ended up crashing on one of the tricky descents to cede her advantage. Instead, it was Brand who hit the front at the end of the long opening lap, going off the front with Gery.
Gery tried to stick with Brand, but the former cyclocross world champion had too much strength for her younger rival, pulling away and putting 20 seconds into the French rider on laps two and three. On the race's closing lap, Gery made one last attempt to eat into the lead and bring Brand back.
She looked strong on that final circuit, but gave too much to try and cut the gap, ending up back where she started as Brand left some in reserve for the final ascent of the Koppenberg. The race was Brand's, her first ever triumph at Koppenbergcross.
