Three days before Lucinda Brand won the silver medal at the 2016 European Cyclo-cross Championships, she danced around pointed questions about her season goals. The 27-year-old Dutch woman's first full cyclo-cross season was off to a flying start, yet she seemed uneasy about naming objectives.
"Of course I didn't start cyclo-cross without any goals, and my goal absolutely was to be quick going up to the top riders," Brand told Cyclingnews in an exclusive interview. "Condition-wise, I knew I was able to do that, but on the technique, on knowing what you can do when, the trust in yourself and your experience, that part I was really unsure about and that part would determine how it would be for me this season."
Here's how it has been: Brand came second at the opening Superprestige race in Gieten in early October, finished in fifth place in Ronse and posted another second place finish at Grand-Prix de la Commune de Contern. She made her World Cup debut in Valkenburg where she finished just off the podium following a gutsy ride with the leading group of six.
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Two days later, Brand took her first win of the season at a night race in Woerden. She finished second to her Rabo-Liv teammate, cyclo-cross world champion Thalita de Jong, at the European Championships.
Brand skipped the 2016 Road World Championships in Doha, Qatar to prepare for the cyclo-cross season. She's no stranger to the dirt, mud, sand and snow, but she's never devoted herself to discipline. Until now, it had been an off-season diversion.
"I have raced cyclo-cross for a few years already, but I could only do it in December and January," Brand said. "I really like racing cyclo-cross, and I already wanted to do it more seriously, but I was never able to make the step and skip some road races and focus on it."
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