Van Empel unable to continue dominance: extremely powerful Lucinda Brand triumphs for second time in Dublin

Lucinda Brand has won the World Cup in Dublin. The Dutch champion of Baloise Trek Lions dealt with Fem van Empel, who was unable to continue her dominance partly due to equipment failure and little mistakes. For Brand, it was the second time she won the Irish cross.

The World Cup in a relatively warm but windy Ireland was the second cyclo-cross in the classification. Last year, it was a true mud fest in Dublin: Lucinda Brand was the strongest then. The defending champion was present but had tough competition: Fem van Empel was in the mix. The world champion was the favorite after her dominant victory in Antwerp. Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado was absent due to illness and thus forced to rest.

From the start, Zoe Bäckstedt showed she was serious about competing. Marie Schreiber was also, as always, off to a good start: Van Empel followed in third place. Brand made a mistake in the opening phase and had to run for a while. This immediately created a big gap: she was riding in around twelfth place. After lap one, she had already closed the gap and joined Van Empel, Bäckstedt, Schreiber, and Inge van der Heijden. Annemarie Worst and Blanka Vas also joined the leaders.

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Van Empel has flat tire, Brand hopes to benefit

World champion Van Empel then suffered a flat tire and needed a new one. As a result, she had to fight her way back from spot eight. Brand saw this as an opportunity. She had also changed bikes but remained in front. The Dutch champion then went on the attack. The Visma | Lease a Bike cyclist had difficulty making her comeback. Meanwhile, her rival from Baloise Trek Lions had broken away from her rivals. But Van Empel didn't let herself get crazy. She slowly got up to speed and suddenly closed the gap on lap three.

It was waiting for her to take the lead, but Van Empel was not focused. She made a mistake in the sandbox and had to run the whole way, so she was allowed to chase for the second time. Halfway through the cross, the gap was 13 seconds between the two rivals. The others could not catch up; they followed at twenty seconds from the woman in the lead. Van Empel's focus was still off: she kept making little mistakes, slipping, and her feet out of the pedals, you name it. It prevented her from getting closer; she added another nine seconds in one lap.

Brand is unstoppable: Van Empel breaks

Brand went deep to keep the number two in the race behind her. She was dissatisfied with her material, so she changed her bike again. That didn't do her any good because Brand kept pushing hard, and her compatriot didn't come any closer. With one lap to go, the gap was half a minute, and Brand's lead was no longer in danger in the final lap despite a final bike change. She could afford to lose time and crossed the line victorious. Van Empel had to settle for second place: behind the top riders, it was an exciting battle for third place with Van der Heijden, Bäckstedt, Vas, and Worst. In the end, it was the British rider who prevailed.

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