Betsema caps off season with final X2O Trofee round win, Brand claims the title
Brand takes World Cup, Superprestige and X2O series again
Denise Betsema punctuated her 2021-2020 cyclocross season with a victory in Sunday’s final round of the X2O Badkamers Trofee in Brussels. It was her first win since October; Betsema claimed one round of the World Cup, Superprestige and X2O in 2021-2022. Brand wouldn’t be denied the trophy, giving her the titles of all three series for the second consecutive year. Manon Bakker celebrated the end of the season with her best result in the three major series, third place.
Denise Betsema had little chance of beating Brand for the title, as the European champion was up by 2:55. Brand had won every round except the first.
Brand got caught up in a snarl of riders right after the green light on Lap 1, as Betsema and Annemarie Worst flew off the front. Brand surfed her way through the string into third, just ahead of Brit Anna Kay. Betsema wanted the bonus seconds at the end of the lap, and she was seven seconds clear of Brand after the first 7:27 circuit.
Just as Brand began to claw Betsema back, Denise surged again. Worst, who had been dumped off Brand’s wheel, found the World Cup champion again. Bakker scrapped to Position 4. Betsema leaped astride a new bike and carried on 16 seconds ahead of Brand and 24 seconds in front of Worst.
Brand biffed on the off-camber section, allowing Betsema to add three seconds to her gap on Lap 3. The gap from Brand to Worst also increased. The closest rider to Worst in the podium race was Marion Norbert Riberolle, 20 seconds in arrears.
On Lap 4 of 6 Worst went down in the same off-camber section that tripped up Brand. Betsema kept her gap. Worst had company from Bakker and Norbert Riberolle.
The penultimate lap was where Bakker made her bid for the podium. Worst fell again and began to look frustrated.
It was as-you-were on the bell lap. All three women on the podium had reason to celebrate the end of C1 and over races.
2021-2022 X2O Badkamers Trofee, Round 8, Brussels
1) Denise Betsema (The Netherlands/Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) 44:52
2) Lucinda Brand (The Netherlands/Baloise Trek Lions) +0:28
3) Manon Bakker (The Netherlands/IKO-Crelan) +1:39
