Brand adamant about UCI statements: "They can shove something down our throats, but that's not going to work"

Indeed, Alvarado was technically better than Brand. "There's only one week between Dendermonde and this race, so it would have been strange if I had won right away. We'll see how things go in the coming weeks, and I hope to keep making progress towards the rest of the season." Brand briefly picks a strawberry from her newly won crate. "Do you guys want one too?"

But still, once you're leading a race, there must be that dream of winning it? "That dream is always there, otherwise I wouldn't be at the starting line. I think I put up a good fight, but I would have liked to have competed with Ceylin for longer. If I had made fewer mistakes in the forest, I think that could have been possible."

Of course, Brand was also asked about her view on the statements of the UCI and particularly president David Lappartient. "I understand what they are trying to achieve, but I think it's a bit of an oversimplification. In my opinion, they should engage in a discussion with us about how we see this for ourselves. You can try to shove something down our throats, but that's not going to work. That would only create more resistance, and I don't think that's beneficial."

The problem for Brand isn't in riding a double weekend. "That's not a problem, it just can't be like that the whole season long." The real issue for Brand is in the long travel distances. "Take this weekend, for example. We are riding in Merksplas, tomorrow it's in Troyes. That's a five-hour journey. I don't know what the right solution is, but maybe the Superprestige should be more international," she muses aloud.

IDLProCycling.com is happy to think along with the cyclocross rider. "Back to Gieten then?" Brand can't help but laugh for a moment. "Definitely! But then there should also be a World Cup nearby. What I mean is that you reduce travel time in a double weekend... Going from Gieten to Troyes would have been a very interesting undertaking indeed."