Brand on Dutch national coach (and former teammate) Ten Dam: "Laurens ten Dam, he doesn't call me out of the blue!"

Brand already confessed after the cyclo-cross in Lokeren that she had the tough race in Niel in her head. "I wanted to balance a bit between riding as fast as possible to the finish and not pushing to the limit because we have another challenge on Monday," explained the Baloise Trek Lions rider.

"But you also want to snatch all those seconds. Then I started to lose concentration, and that's when you make all those stupid mistakes. That's why I need to be much more careful about that," said Brand, who already complimented her competitor Alvarado in Lokeren. "I saw she had problems with her chain; I knew that. Then, of course, she just rode a solid course."

One day later, the tables were turned in Niel. This time, Alvarado was the stronger rider, while Brand still had to work to defend her second place against Marion Norbert Riberolle. The rider from Dordrecht could certainly accept her second place, as she is now leading the Superprestige with Alvarado, in addition to the lead in the X2O Trophy.

Afterward, she said that back problems were an issue during the cyclo-cross race in Niel. Because the race is on Monday, November 11 (a public holiday in Belgium), there will be one day less recovery until the next race in Merksplas, Belgium, on Saturday. Brand will try to fill that period as best she can.

There was also other news on the women's front this past week: Laurens ten Dam will become the national coach of the Dutch elite women from January 1. According to Brand, this is a bold but challenging move. She already knows Ten Dam from the two years (2017 and 2018) they rode for Team Sunweb and recently experienced him as a coach at the World Gravel Championships.

Brand was, therefore, informed earlier than the "normal" person by Ten Dam himself. The morning after the cyclo-cross World Championships, her phone rang, and the name "Laurens ten Dam" appeared on the screen, to which Brand answered her cell phone with the following words: "Laurens ten Dam, he doesn't call me out of the blue!"

How would Brand describe Ten Dam as a national coach? "Well, I think Laurens, the national coach on the road, will be a different national coach than on the gravel. I've known him for some time already. Not only personally but also as a teammate from Sunweb. He strikes me as someone who can be very serious and knows what you have to sacrifice but also knows very well how vital a good atmosphere is and when you have to relax. I hope he can bring a breath of fresh air."