Lucinda Brand shines in the rainbow Jersey at the Cyclocross season opener in Dendermonde
Cyclo-cross
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Follow us on GoogleLucinda Brand claimed victory at the HG Cross in Dendermonde. The world champion—who recently signed a new contract with Sven Nys—made her official competitive debut and immediately dominated the race. The Dutch rider set a blistering pace, proving just a bit stronger than Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado. Denise Betsema finished third.
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In the opening phase of the HG Cross—which, starting this season, has replaced the formerly known Exact Cross—a relatively large group kept each other in check. European champion Inge van der Heijden and Aniek van Alphen were frequently seen at the front, but after three of the seven laps, the race still hadn’t really opened up.
In the fourth lap, Marion Norbert Riberolle stood up on the pedals, and then U23 world champion Leonie Bentveld also made her move. Riberolle pushed herself past her limits and, feeling sick, weak, and nauseous, had to drop out. Brand and Alvarado finally came into the picture as the race entered its decisive phase. Brand seemed to pull away for a moment, but a slight slip cost her her lead.
As we entered the penultimate lap, there were still seven riders together, and a new attack by Brand really began to break the pack apart. Alvarado never fell behind, but she was often just a hair’s breadth away. In the final lap, she and Betsema managed to catch up, but since Brand wasn’t in the mood for a sprint, she launched one final decisive attack to secure the win.
Starting in Dendermonde, we’ll generally see the familiar names in action every week. However, the first points-scoring race isn’t scheduled until October 25, with the Superprestige in Overijse. Until then, it’s just individual races and HG races. There is no HG general classification, but the organization of these races is sponsored.
Results of the HG Cross Dendermonde 2026 - Elite Women
- 1. Lucinda Brand — Baloise Insurance - The Lions Cleaning Agency — 47:03
- 2. Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado — Fenix - Premier Tech — +0:01
- 3. Denise Betsema — De Ceuster Construction Cranes — +0:02
- 4. Aniek van Alphen — 777TV CX Team — +0:14
- 5. Inge van der Heijden — Crelan - Corendon — +0:34
- 6. Kristýna Zemanová — Crelan - Corendon — +0:36
- 7. Leonie Bentveld — Pauwels Sauces - Altez Industrial Construction — +0:44
- 8. Lucia Bramati — FAS Airport Services - Guerciotti — +1:07
- 9. Annemarie Worst — Baloise Insurance - Het Poetsbureau Lions — +1:11
- 10. Julie Brouwers — Charles Liégeois CX Team — +1:16
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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Latest Comments
- Why is the Chrono des Nations only “three-quarters of an hour”? Is that the usual length of the time trial, or just an estimate?sprocketspiny10-10-2026
- Great ride from Seixas, but I’m slightly surprised Evenepoel couldn’t follow when the pace went up. Was it simply fatigue, or did the climb not suit him this year?cyclechamp4510-10-2026
- Heavy legs after such a long season, yet he still wins the sprint for fourth. That’s a proper professional mentality. Best of luck at the Chrono des Nations.julien10-10-2026
- Seixas was phenomenal on the Civiglio. Evenepoel’s honesty is refreshing too—fourth place on a bad day still shows just how strong he is.tourdeforce910-10-2026
- I’m a bit confused by the photo finish explanation—if the image shows time rather than distance, how can it prove who crossed first? And why was the result not explained immediately after the race?velodromevirtuoso109-10-2026
- 13,000 captures per second is some serious technology! Still, I can understand why Ciccone felt frustrated when the margin was so tiny. Hopefully the organisers publish the full image so fans can see exactly what happened.patriciaw09-10-2026
- Evenepoel handled this well. No need to turn a razor-thin result into a bigger argument, especially with the governing body confirming the procedure. That jersey and Specialized bike combination should look absolutely brilliant in Lombardy.cadencekingm09-10-2026
- A finish decided by fractions of a second will always create debate, but the UEC’s explanation of the EtherLynx system sounds pretty conclusive. Photo finishes are often misunderstood—the image represents time, not a normal view of the riders’ position. Fair play to Ciccone for accepting it graciously.pedalpowe2909-10-2026
- This feels a bit overdramatic from the media. Until Roglic or his agent confirms it, all these “insiders” are just guessing. Still, seeing him line up with Pidcock would be pretty cool.breakawaybikerd09-10-2026
- I’m still learning the team side of cycling: if a team has 29 contracts already signed, how can it still add Roglič? Do riders leave, or are there limits on how many can be registered?samanthak09-10-2026
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