Hours after her World Championship victory, Lucinda Brand shares inspiring words about her title, her mother, Van Empel, and her future goals

Brand arrived while numbers two and three — Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado and Puck Pieterse — were still speaking. Did they have anything they wanted to say about the rider who had just become world champion? “I can say one thing about her: she’s like a good bottle of red wine,” (Ik kan er één ding over zeggen: ze is als een goede fles rode wijn) Alvarado said of the 36-year-old Brand.

Pieterse followed up. “What she does is just unbelievable. She really deserved it after winning almost all the races this year. Right before we stepped onto the podium, I said it already: it was the same in Dübendorf, six years ago. That shows how high the level is, because so many young talents have come through.”

Lucinda, have you realised what you’ve done today?
“I rode a bike race,” she laughed. “No, it’s something really special. It was incredibly cool to become world champion here in front of our own people.”

You made your move in the third lap. Was that the plan?
“I wanted to raise the pressure a bit. In certain sections, the speed was high, but in others it could have been faster. It benefits me when it’s hard all the time. Then Puck crashed and that changed things, because suddenly I had a big gap. I had to find my rhythm, and that went well — maybe a bit too well.”

“Because I crashed myself coming out of a corner and I was angry with myself. Ceylin could come back ‘for free’ because of that, but in the end it was hard enough for me to drop her again.”

How was the past week for you, after the injury you picked up in Maasmechelen?
“Not bad, honestly. It wasn’t a nice weekend, that’s true. Maasmechelen isn’t my favourite course and Hoogerheide actually is, so I was gutted that I couldn’t race there. You never know how an injury will develop, but on Tuesday I already felt improvement. That gave me enough confidence that it would be OK here.”

“In any case it didn’t change much in my planning, because I wasn’t going to do a whole lot of riding this week anyway.

Most people in this room know it has been a tough winter for you, with the loss of your mother. How did you keep your focus?
“I really love cycling and I’m good at focusing on what I’m doing. It can be a weakness to move on too quickly, no matter what happens, but in this case I think it’s a strength of mine. And I grabbed that strength with both hands.”

Lately there’s been a lot of talk about the mental side. How important is it?
“It’s about the details. And then I’m talking about nutrition, recovery, the social side, the fear of getting ill, and so on. That brings a lot of pressure, especially if you’re already very good at a young age.”

“I’ve had the time to grow into it, so maybe I approach it a bit more relaxed. I’m not weighing my food every day, and that helps me stay calm and keep enjoying it. If with every slice of bread you’re thinking about the amount of carbohydrates and calories in it… even on days you don’t need to.”

You succeed Fem van Empel as world champion. What would you like to tell her?
“I hope she can find herself again and enjoys life. I don’t follow her closely of course, but I saw some nice holiday photos — that’s good. And I hope she can find joy in whatever she’s doing, and then it doesn’t really matter what that is. Is it on the bike? Great. Is it not on the bike? Also fine. She’s already had a wonderful career.”

How will you look back on this winter in ten years?
“It was already a very good winter. I felt really strong, physically and technically. I had three big goals, and only Zonhoven was the one I couldn’t tick off — that doesn’t happen every winter. This World Championships is the cherry on the cake, but even without this title I would have been satisfied with my winter.”

The last time you became world champion there were no spectators. This must be a different dimension.
“Definitely. That’s why I dreamed of this rainbow jersey in front of the home crowd.”

What is your next goal?
“I’m heading into a busy spring, because I specifically asked to do Strade Bianche. That’s a really cool race and I hope I can enjoy it. Later on, Flanders and Roubaix are big goals, and I hope I can be there with the same legs as at these Worlds. I’ve got a small cobblestone, but I’d like a bigger one.”

Would you prefer a wet Paris-Roubaix?
“Hmmm… I’m not so sure about that.”