For the second year in a row, Annemarie Werst failed to reach the rainbow jersey of the UCI Cyclocross World Championships. Last year, the Dutch rider lost to compatriot Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado in the sprint race in Dubendorf, Switzerland. This time, she lost the chance to bring her sprint into the race when she collided with Lucinda Brand (NL), the winner in Ostend, Belgium, and crashed in the second half of the race.

It was very difficult for Worst to accept her defeat in Switzerland, and she shed tears of disillusionment; a year later, none of that happened. Worst smiled and congratulated Brand on her second place finish.

"Obviously I'm less disappointed. My season has not been great. My goal was to do my best at the World Championships and end the season on a high note," Worst said at the temporary Sporza studio adjacent to the Ostend 'Cross course.

Much can be explained by pre-race expectations. Last year, Worst won the overall World Cup as part of Team 777 and started the race as one of the favorites to win, as he had a string of victories that season; the 25-year-old Worst has been lackluster this season, with his only win coming at the Koppenberg Cross in October.

Then again, Worst was well aware that a good run at the World Championships might spice up her season. She tends to do well at championships, winning the women's U23 title in 2017 and the elite women's European title in 2018.

"The World Championships are always a special race and my goal was to run well here. It's not fun to miss the win, but it was a good race," Worst said.

In the first half of the race, Denise Betsema, another of the overwhelming Dutch contingent, jumped out of the start and took the lead alone. Worst teamed up with Brand in the first chase group.

"I felt good throughout the race and when I bridged up with Denise I knew I had a chance to win. [It was the middle of the five-lap race, and the course consisted of a seaside passage with a deep sand section and a winding section on the grass of the nearby Hippodrome, with the two parts of the course connected by a huge flyover.

"It was a good lap. I didn't think the sand section would go that well. I crashed a few times. The running sections went really well and I could go as fast as I could on the sand.

"The bridge" was steep. The uphill was really tough," Worst said of the 20 percent steepness.

On the final lap, Betsema and Worst bridged up the brand hard as she switched bikes. The pit area was in a fast section and few riders switched bikes during the race.

"I didn't want to slow down too much, I wanted to work her. Certainly at the end of the race, I needed the energy to come back. I thought about switching bikes, but decided not to because I felt good on the bike," Wurst said.

Eventually, the Dutch trio came together for the final lap. Brand rode up the beach and bridge at a furious pace, while Betsema faded out. Worst struggled to keep up, but managed to hold on.

At the Hippodrome, Worst stood tall as Brand brought down the hammer on a less technical section. Worst moved into the lead, but Brand bounced back on the following uphill corner.

Brand cut to the inside, found grass and grip, and surged. Worst was on the outside, but suddenly made contact with Brand. There was light contact and Worst tumbled sideways.

Worst thought he would be furious at his "shoulder accident" and lost his chance at the gold medal, but he was not.

"It was a close race for both of us. It happened during the race. It was slippery. It happens that way. I didn't think she was there. All of a sudden, I fell to the ground," Worst said.

There her glorious run ended. She kept the pressure on Brand, but he stood tall and won his first world title.