Brand wins her sixth 2021-2022 World Cup at home in Hulst

World Cup leader Lucinda Brand stalked and dispatched U23 World Cup leader Puck Pieterse on the penultimate lap to win her sixth round of the series in Hulst, the Netherlands on Sunday. It was Brand’s 15th victory of the season, while Pieterse has been World Cup runner-up thrice this season. Brand padded her lead at the top of the series table, and with two rounds remaining she practically has the Cup locked down. Maghalie Rochette had a tough race in her second contest back from illness, placing 16th.

You can watch the remaining two rounds of the 2021-2022 UCI ‘cross World Cup at FloBikes.

Lucinda Brand was at the top of the table going into Sunday’s race, leading Denise Betsema by 38 points. Brand had won five rounds so far, Marianne Vos had taken three, and Betsema, Hungarian Kata Blanka Vas, Annemarie Worst and Fem van Empel had all claimed one.

Vos took the hole shot on Lap 1, and Rochette had to move up from the second start row, having also to make her way through congestion in the corners. Vos had van Empel and Puck Pieterse in her rear view mirror. Rochette was 11th midway through the first circuit. A mistake from Vos allowed Pieterse to seize the reins. Vos then started to sift back in the string.

Pieterse soon had the Hungarian Vas and Shirin van Androoij as her closest pursuers on Lap 2, but young Puck pulled out a 10 second gap. When she finished the second circuit, she had 14 seconds over Vas, van Empel and van Androoij fighting for the podium 21 seconds back. Rochette sat 12th, Sidney McGill was 32nd and Ava Holmgren was 33rd.

Rochette was losing places on the third of six laps. Vas kept pushing in the chase group that contained van Empel, Worst, Brand, van Androoij, Vos and Betsema. Pieterse kept her gap.

Brand made her way up the string and took over from Vas on Lap 4.

Pieterse started to lose her buffer on the penultimate lap as Brand began to dig in, Vas, van Empel and Worst on the world champion’s wheel. Brand caught Pieterse right at the foot of the steep run-up, but the U23 World Cup leader squirted away again. There was a gap back to Vas, Worst and van Empel.

Brand caught and passed Pieterse before they heard the bell. Van Empel tried to distance the other podium threats. Brand pushed out a bigger lead. It was van Empel who would lose her bid for the podium as Worst and Vas surged clear. Worst made inroads into Pieterse’s lead, but the U23 World Cup leader would keep her runner-up spot. Brand now leads Betsema by 59 points.

The next round is two weeks away in Flamanville, France.

2021-2022 UCI ‘Cross World Cup, Round 13, Hulst
1) Lucinda Brand (The Netherlands/Baloise Trek Lions) 49:14
2) Puck Pieterse (The Netherlands/Alpecin-Fenix) +0:05
3) Annemarie Worst (The Netherlands/777) +0:11
16) Maghalie Rochette (Canada) +3:03
39) Ava Holmgren (Canada) +7:26
40) Sidney McGill (Canada) +7:54
46) Isabella Holmgren (Canada)
56) Siobhan Kelly (Canada)