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The third edition of Dublin’s UCI Cyclocross World Cup was won solo by Lucinda Brand (Baloise-Trek Lions), who took advantage of a mistake in the sand by World Champion Fem van Empel (Visma-Lease a Bike) in the mid part of the race.
Van Empel had suffered a puncture early on but managed to recover. Then, on the fourth lap of six, Van Empel entered the sand section on the wheel of Brand and seemed to lose control, unclipping and allowing a gap to open up the the Dutch champion. Brand powered on, extending her lead over the rainbow jersey, who seemed short of her best, and was never seen again.
Van Empel finished second, 24 seconds down, while Zoë Backstedt (Canyon-SRAM) equalled her best-ever UCI World Cup result by rounding out the podium.
“It’s a big one, so I’m happy with it,” Brand said in the TV interview after the finish.
“I felt strong. I got a bit stuck in the first lap, but then I could move up quickly so I knew I had good legs. It was still difficult. Fem had a puncture also, it’s maybe not the nicest way but I thought that I had to take my advantage over it as well. Then people struggled with the pace I think.”
“But Fem was strong, she came back. But then she made a mistake and lost some time and I think I was the stronger one at that point,” Brand concluded.
How it Unfolded
On a cold but sunny Irish afternoon, it was to be a Dutch battle for glory at the third edition of the Dublin UCI Cyclocross women’s World Cup race.
In the opening lap, Van Empel looked confident on the front, stretching things out while swapping turns with Backstedt. Before the end of the lap, though, the World Champion had pulled out a slight gap over the rest with Backstedt, Brand and others chasing on. It was Brand who managed to reel Van Empel in, but only five others could go with the Dutch pair as the opener concluded.
Heading through the pits in the second lap, Van Empel suffered a puncture and was distanced as she changed bikes. Brand pushed on at the front of the lead group and Van Empel wasn’t immediately able to close it down.
Brand continued to drive the pace, dropping the four riders on her wheel by the end of the second lap as Van Empel picked her way through the field, sitting in sixth and trailing Brand by 12 seconds at the end of lap two.
Keen not to get caught in traffic, Van Empel impressively weaved through the riders in front and wound in Brand mid-way through the third lap. Brand had invested heavily in the opening stages and looked to be struggling at this point as Van Empel floated over the mud.
Brand was gifted a gap once again soon after as Van Empel got it all wrong in the sand, veering to the left and losing control, having to unclip from her pedals and run.
Van Empel was on the chase again. This time, Brand expandws her gap as Van Empel pursued. Behind Zoë Backstedt and Inge van der Heijden were in a battle for the final spot on the podium. Brand’s lead stretched out over twenty seconds as the final lap approached.
The former world champion’s lead over Van Empel was thirty seconds as the final lap began and Brand would stay strong to deliver her second Dublin victory in as many years. Van Empel was second, having closed the gap minimally in the final lap. Backstedt broke clear in the final few hundred metres to take her equal-best ever UCI World Cup result.
Results
