Brand back to winning ways in Superprestige Round 5

Denise Betsema might have broken Lucinda Brand’s win streak at the X2O Trofee race on Saturday, but on Sunday’s sixth round of the Superprestige series, raced in plenty of Gavere, Belgium mud, Brand got revenge on her compatriot with the victory. She now leads Ceylin Del Carmen Alvarado by two points with two rounds to race. Maghalie Rochette injured her ankle in an early crash and didn’t finish the race. Ruby West placed 24th.

Before Sunday’s contest, five rounds had been raced in the Superprestige series, with Maghalie Rochette 10th and Lucinda Brand leading although she was tied on points with Ceylin Del Carmen Alvarado. Alvarado won the first two rounds, but Brand claimed the next three in a row. Yara Kastalijn won the Gavere round last season.

Denise Betsema, who claimed Saturday’s third round of the X2O Trofee, led Alvarado and Lucinda Brand over the line after Lap 1. By the end of Lap 2 of 5, Brand had joined Betsema out front with Alvarado ten seconds in arrears.

Brand pushed out a 4-second gap over Betsema by the end of Lap 3, with Alvarado a further 8-seconds behind. American Clara Honsinger was closing in on Alvarado.

Betsema’s bid to catch Brand was hampered when she dropped her bike and fell over while making a machine change on Lap 4. When Brand heard the bell, she had 12 seconds to work with. It was exactly her winning margin.

Like at the X2O Trofee on Saturday, it was a short race for the women, with Brand breaking the line with a time of 42:57, Betsema winning yesterday with 42:16. Brand has now won six of her last eight races.

The next round of the Superprestige is on Boxing Day at Heusden-Zolder, Belgium.

2020-2021 Superpestige Series Round 6, Elite Women
1) Lucinda Brand (The Netherlands/Telenet Baloise Lions) 42:57
2) Denise Betsema (The Netherlands/Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) +0:12
3) Ceylin Del Carmen Alvarado (The Netherlands/Alpecin-Fenix) +0:33
24) Ruby West (Canada/Proximus-Alphamotorhomes-Doltcini CT)