Lucinda Brand

Brand impresses in her early years

Lucinda Brand was born on July 2, 1989. In 2007, the Dutch rider competed in the Dutch Cyclo-cross Championships for the first time, finishing 21st at the age of 18. While she always maintained a love for cyclo-cross, Brand initially focused on road racing in the early years of her career.

In 2009, representing the AA Drink Cycling Team, she earned her first win, taking the Dolmans Heuvelland Classic in South Limburg with an impressive solo effort. Brand continued to make her mark in 2011, winning bronze in the U23 European Road Championships. During her final year with the team affiliated with Leontien van Moorsel, she won a stage in the Tour de Limousin and another in the Route de France. Additionally, in 2012, she claimed bronze in the team time trial at the World Championships in Valkenburg.

Brand moves to new team

In 2013, Brand joined Liv Racing Xstra (formerly Rabobank-Liv). Her first year with the new team brought her biggest victory yet, winning the Dutch national championship in Kerkrade after a long solo. She also earned a silver medal in the team time trial at the World Championships. In 2014, she came close to winning another Dutch title with a solo break, but her teammate Iris van der Stappen passed her before the finish. Brand was also on track for a medal in the World Championship team time trial, but a crash in the final corner cost her that chance.

Over the years, Brand developed her skills in all areas, improving her sprinting, which paid off in the 2015 Giro Rosa, where she won two stages and wore the leader’s jersey for a day. That same year, she won the Dutch road championship again in Emmen, defeating Annemiek van Vleuten and Amy Pieters, who joined her on the podium. Brand continued to perform well in 2016, winning races such as the Erondegemse Pijl and the Lotto Belgium Tour, and also claimed the overall title in the Ladies Tour of Norway.

Return to cyclo-cross

In the fall of 2016, Brand returned to cyclo-cross, finishing second in both the Dutch and European Championships that season. She continued to compete in cyclo-cross over the next few years, becoming Dutch champion twice. She also impressed internationally by winning the World Championship in 2021 and the European Championship in 2022. Additionally, she claimed the overall World Cup title twice. In 2023, Brand’s form dipped slightly; she finished third in the World Championships but missed the European Championships due to injury.

Despite her cyclo-cross success, Brand continued to compete on the road. From 2017 onward, she rode for Team Sunweb, winning Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in her first year with the team. That same year, Sunweb won the team time trial at the World Championships, and Brand took a stage win in the Giro Rosa. The following year, she won another stage in the Giro Rosa and claimed overall victory in the Tour of Norway. Brand came close to winning the Amstel Gold Race, ultimately finishing second in the sprint behind Chantal Blaak.

Stepping back from road racing

In 2019, Brand achieved only one road victory, joining Koen Bouwman, Jos van Emden, Bauke Mollema, Riejanne Markus and Amy Pieters to win the mixed team time trial at the World Championships in Harrogate, England. By 2020, riding for her new team Lidl-Trek, she significantly reduced her road racing schedule, focusing more on cyclocross. Although she competed less on the road, she still demonstrated her skills by winning the mountain classification and a stage in the 2021 Giro d’Italia. That same year, she also won the Thüringen Rundfahrt and a stage in the Tour de l’Ardèche.

In 2022, Brand placed third in Paris-Roubaix, with Elisa Longo Borghini soloing to victory and Lotte Kopecky beating Brand in the sprint. In 2023, Brand raced in all the major classics but did not achieve notable results. Her only victories came in the Baloise Ladies Tour, where she won one stage and claimed the overall title. Due to an injury, she will miss the beginning of the 2023/2024 cyclo-cross season.