Lucinda Brand couldn’t believe the pace of the Koppenbergcross: 'This has never happened before'

Immediately after crossing the finish line, Brand got off her bike and sat down on the ground at the top of the Koppenberg.

Partly because of the fast pace, Brand no longer expected to be able to break away from her competitors later on.

“You guys think it’s all very simple, that I’m taking it easy at the start, but that’s definitely not the case.” In the end, Brand finished just under a minute ahead of second-place finisher Sara Casasola.

The women had really picked up the pace, causing Brand to look at the lap counter in surprise during the race.

The Koppenbergcross is the first race in the X2O standings, which Brand now logically leads.

“It’s a tough classification. Sometime in February, every second can count, so you always have to keep pushing, even in a race like this. You can pace yourself a little differently if time doesn’t matter. Today, it was tougher than tough.”

And when the going gets tough, the 37-year-old cyclocross rider often rises to the occasion. In the cycling town of Oudenaarde, this marked her second victory on the famous cobblestone climb in the Belgian Ardennes. “Have I come to love this climb? It’s always painful, but I’ve always loved it, yes.”