Brand wins in Gullegem after strong final lap

Lucinda Brand claimed the Telenet Superprestige race in Gullegem. The Dutch champion had to chase throughout the race, but in the final lap, she dropped Backstedt, Alvarado, and Bentveld.

Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto) shot off the starting line the quickest and led the first muddy sections. She formed a lead group that included Leonie Bentveld (Pauwels Sauzen – Cibel Clementines) and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Fenix-Deceuninck). Lucinda Brand (Baloise Glowi Lions) followed in a chase group, eight seconds behind, at the end of the first lap.

Brand recognized the danger and left her chasing group behind in the second lap. The Dutch champion tried to bridge the gap to the lead group and succeeded half a lap later. However, her lead was short-lived as a bike change caused her to lose touch with the trio in front.

Brand's gap hadn't gone unnoticed by Alvarado. The leader in the Telenet Superprestige upped the pace midway through the race, but she couldn't drop Backstedt and Bentveld. In the penultimate lap, she succeeded in doing so. She created a small gap with the duo, but Backstedt seemed to have regained her form. The British rider closed the gap with Bentveld in her wheel, and suddenly, Brand was back, making it a four-way battle in the final lap.

Bentveld was the first to drop from the lead group. Shortly after, Brand accelerated, leaving Backstedt with no chance of victory. Brand's engine was running at full throttle in the final lap. Alvarado also lost ground on the Dutch champion, and even Backstedt caught up with her.

Ultimately, Brand took the victory in Gullegem. Backstedt overtook Alvarado in the final running section, but the two sprinted to the line. A photo finish was needed to determine that Zoe Backstedt finished second, just ahead of Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado. Thanks to Backstedt's second place, Brand heads into the final round of the Telenet Superprestige in Middelkerke as the leader.