DENDERMONDE — World champion Lucinda Brand (Baloise Verzekeringen-Het Poetsbureau Lions) opened her cyclo-cross season in style on Sunday, winning the opening round of the HG Cross series in Dendermonde in 0:47:03, one second clear of Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Fenix-Premier Tech) with Denise Betsema (De Ceuster Bouwkranen) two seconds back in third.
The victory at the first major European cyclo-cross event of the 2026/27 season — the series formerly known as Exact Cross — saw Brand control proceedings from the opening lap without launching a solo attack, sharing the front with Alvarado and Betsema as a leading group of ten stayed together through five laps. "It's very important, it's always good to kick off in a good way," said Brand, who recently revealed she is leaving Lidl-Trek but staying with the Baloise Lions cyclo-cross set-up.
Brand cranked up the pace on the sandy climb on lap six to string out the field, with Alvarado closest behind and Betsema and Aniek van Alphen (777TV CX) just further back, before the race came back together on the final lap. Forced to lead a trio containing Alvarado and Betsema for much of the final circuit, Brand opted for pure power rather than tactics, driving so hard that her rivals had little left to sprint on the finishing straight.
"It was not an easy race, the level was really close to each other on a difficult course with so many corners. You always think you're prepared in the first [race] but once you come on the course of the race then it's different!" Brand said. Van Alphen finished fourth at 14 seconds, with Inge Van Der Heijden (Crelan-Corendon) fifth at 34 seconds to complete the top five in Dendermonde.