Alvarado couldn't respond to Brand's attack, Van der Heijden almost missed podium

Lucinda Brand was the strongest and most competent in Diegem. In artificial light, the Dutch champion overpowered Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, who had to accept her defeat. Inge van der Heijden finished third and was very happy.

"Maybe this was the highest achievable today, who knows," Alvarado said in the flash interview. "That bike change wasn't so convenient and was the deciding factor. Lucinda saw an opportunity, and she grabbed it with both hands. So, was this the highest possible? Yes and no, actually."

The Fenix-Deceunick rider still did everything she could to return, and almost one lap later, when the sandpit loomed again, she made an all-or-nothing attempt. "I knew it would be difficult, but I almost came close to her wheel. Then she glanced at me, saw I wasn't behind her yet, and accelerated. At that point, I had no answer to her attack."

So it remains an exciting battle between the two Dutch ladies in the Superprestige ranking. "Yes, one point. If we keep fighting and there is always only one place between us regarding the results, it will remain exciting. But that also means she needs two more points than me, so we'll see with two races to go," Alvarado adds.

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Van der Heijden nearly misses podium

For Inge van der Heijden, the podium was more than welcome. "Third place is very important to me. A podium always feels good. I was close in the last few races but never close enough to make the podium. Now I am, and I'm pleased about that."

However, it almost went wrong at the end of the last lap when Van der Heijden's chain came off. "I hoped they were far enough behind me, and luckily they were. On the descent, my chain bounced off in the turn and got stuck. I got it back on quickly, so I'm glad it was enough. I tried to stay calm, but it fell right off the first time. On the second try, it did stay on. Then, luckily, I succeeded and managed to finish third," the 25-year-old Corendon rider concluded.

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