Brand smiles at team boss Nys's approach in Spain: "This way, you can make something positive out of everything"

Team boss Sven Nys predicted it the day before the Spanish cross, although he also saw opportunities in his own way. 'Benidorm is challenging for Lucinda, but I believe Hoogerheide and the World Cup are truly going to be the two important races for her. I think she should now put her maximum focus on the World Cup, especially because of the World Cups she has already won. I hope it works out, but Fem van Empel is, of course, very strong. Although we also have to wait and see the weather; it's often slippery there due to ice and snow.'

Nys' assessment of Benidorm was correct. "But that way, you can make something positive out of everything, although, of course, it is true," Brand said with a smile about the attitude toward Benidorm. "Always going full speed, that's the Brand style. Even if it's on a course that doesn't suit her. This course cannot be compared to the cyclocross races we are used to. If you have to name a course that doesn't fit my capabilities at all, it's this one. Every three meters, you have to sprint, and that's not going to happen," she smiled from ear to ear. "Not with me, anyway! So, for me, it's just really tough. I ride strongly uphill, but that's only one-tenth of the course. What I gained there, I lost during the rest."

In Zonhoven, Brand broke her nose, but she still became the Dutch champion one week later. "The recovery of that nose break takes six weeks, so it's not fully healed yet. The only difference is that I can't wear sunglasses now, which was annoying at the beginning of the race. Because of that, you're squinting all the time, but other than that, it's not really that bad," she indicated.

Is there any decompression a week after winning a championship? For example, did Brand have to pinch herself again after all that happened? "You know, that's the weird thing about cycling. The next day you're flying somewhere else, and then the next race is already there. Maybe I can't really think about it until after my career. Of course, you try to now, and I'm proud of everything I achieve. It's not that I find it all normal, but I think you are constantly so caught up in the moment that it is difficult to really look back. That's for later, I think," she answers thoughtfully."