Brand lashes out at Casasola after losing to Alvarado who dug deep: "There's been action like that before"

Afterward, Alvarado stood at the flash interview, still panting heavily; that's how deep she had to go in the end. It was clear: making the difference on a blazing-fast lap proved much more demanding than expected. "I had to dig deep, but the gap I gained made me have to seize my moment. I knew it would be hard to close a gap on such a fast lap unless you have super legs," she described her nose for the right moment.

That moment came on lap five of the six. Alvarado rode into the hilly forest in front of Brand. However, the Dutch champion saw the Italian Sara Casasola approaching boldly and somewhat overconfidently, forcing them both off the bike on a hill. Brand had gotten a gap the same way a lap earlier, but now it proved decisive. "Without Casasola's action, that gap wouldn't have happened, then it would have been a gamble until the end. I had to come back; I hate that," Brand said after the race.

According to Brand, there will be a conversation with the Crelan-Corendon rider. "Maybe it's due to the young age, but I have often thought: ow! That's also a bit cyclo-cross, but she usually doesn't benefit. Then it's annoying, so when I get the chance, I'll point that out again."

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Due to the clash between Brand and Casasola, Alvarado held on to just a few seconds at the finish. That provided relief. "We already saw in Lokeren that Lucinda and I are equally strong. I took that moment, but the last lap was tough," she described the last lap, where she was almost overtaken on the sand section. The finish after that was fast enough for the lady, who has been so successful this year.

Brand agrees that the sandbox was "crucial." She didn't get through it well for a long time but did on the final lap. As a result, she almost closed a gap to Alvarado. In her own words, the leader panicked for a moment. "I was tired and thought I had to get through that sand section to win. But then things went wrong halfway through, and I lost focus. I ran as fast as possible, but it wasn't fast anymore."

"Lucinda was practically on my wheel, but I just kept riding until the finish line because the sprint was too short to really sprint," Alvarado then continued. Brand had to deal with the frustration and is trying to look at the positives. "The form could be better, but I can't complain either. If you feel that somewhere it could be a percent better and you compete for the win, you shouldn't be too difficult about it."

Bram van der Ploeg (Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email: [email protected])