Lucinda Brand wins the Koppenbergcross with a ferocious attack on the legendary cobblestones
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Follow us on GoogleLucinda Brand won the Koppenbergcross in the elite women’s category on Sunday. In what turned out to be an almost traditional elimination race, she proved to be by far the strongest on the legendary cobblestones in Oudenaarde. Brand could not be caught after attacking in the second half of the race. Italy's Sara Casasola and Marie Schreiber from Luxembourg finished second and third.
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Marie Schreiber has been one of the women to beat in 2026 so far.
The Koppenberg leaves no where to hide
The Koppenbergcross is always a fair race, especially now that the course was in fairly good condition and the sun was shining brightly in the early afternoon.
Marie Schreiber and Lucinda Brand were in top form. Schreiber won five of her first six races, including the evening race in Woerden. Brand was the best in Overijse, although Schreiber didn’t race there.
Sara Casasola didn’t start her season until the Koppenberg, and the Italian was strong right from the start. She kept pace nicely with Schreiber and Brand during the first 3 of 6 laps.
Hélène Clauzel had put up a good fight, but by the halfway point of the cross-country section, she found herself in fourth place, riding alone.
Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado came through in fifth place after three laps; Van Empel had already climbed from 22nd to 6th place by that point.
Continue reading below the video
Brand turned the screw and Schreiber couldn't follow
Schreiber consistently pushed the pace at the front for SD Worx-Protime, while Brand remained cautious, knowing that the race would not be decided until the second half.
And so it happened: when Brand accelerated for the first time on the fourth lap, Schreiber couldn’t keep up. Casasola did manage to stay on his wheel, but the Italian also fell behind when Brand pushed even harder on the pedals.
After 4 of 6 laps, it suddenly turned into a woman-versus-woman battle. Brand surged up the Koppenberg and had already opened up an 11-second lead over Casasola.
Schreiber was even trailing by half a minute, which essentially decided the podium battle with two laps to go. At the finish line, Brand—who continued racing in the X2O Trophy time trial classification—had a 53-second lead over Casasola.
Schreiber finished third, 1.22 minutes behind, while Van Empl ultimately finished eighth.
Results of the X2O Trophy Koppenbergcross Oudenaarde 2026 - Elite Women
1. Lucinda Brand
2. Sara Casasola + 0.53
3. Marie Schreiber + 1.22
4. Hélène Clauzel 1.44
5. Amandine Fouquenet + 2.02
2. Sara Casasola + 0.53
3. Marie Schreiber + 1.22
4. Hélène Clauzel 1.44
5. Amandine Fouquenet + 2.02
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David Bavin-HobbsChief Editor
David has been working in the sports & cycling industry for 16 years. Covering racing, business and technology, he has worked in communications for cycling companies, teams, and as a journalist. His proudest achievement is winning the first bike race he ever entered. He hasn't won a race since.
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