After three consecutive podium finishes at the UCI Cyclocross World Championships, 31-year-old Lucinda Brand (NL) finally finished first on a cold and windy Saturday afternoon in Belgium.

Her efforts paid off with an outstanding performance on the demanding coastal course in Ostend. Brand finished alone to take the rainbow jersey after a fierce battle with compatriots Annemarie Worst and Denise Bessema.

"This means a lot to me. It's really special and I still can't really feel it. I've missed a few close calls, but now it's a close win," Brand said in a post-race flash interview.

Needless to say, this is the "Coronavirus version" of the cyclocross championships. The three Dutch women on the podium were wearing mouth caps and were not offered medals or rainbow jerseys for Brand by UCI President David Lapartient, but took the medals themselves. The race was contested without the typical large crowd and accompanying exuberant atmosphere, as Belgium was in the midst of trying to stave off a third wave of Covid 19.

"It was nice to have a race that the fans back home could enjoy. I hope we can get back to our normal atmosphere as soon as possible," Brand said.

Brand, based in Rotterdam, turned pro in 2009 and focused the first part of her cycling career on the road, winning two national titles on the road in 2013 and 2015. She has won no fewer than six team time trial medals at road world championships, including gold in 2017 and 2019.

In 2016, Brand began racing cyclocross. Despite her limited technical skills, she won a silver medal at the European Championships in Pontchateau, France. She continued on the bumpy road to success on muddy meadows.

Her fourth place at the 2017 Biels Games was the beginning of a great run of top-notch performances at the World Championships. She finished third in her hometown of Valkenburg, second in Bogense, Denmark in 2019, and third again last year in Dubendorf, Switzerland. This time she is world champion.

"I still can't believe it. Tomorrow," Brand said in an interview at the temporary Sporza studio on the Ostend course. Also present was cyclocross legend Sven Nys, who has been Brand's guide since she joined his cyclocross team (now called Telenet-Baloise Lions) in 2019.

"We have worked together for a long time, especially in the last few months. This was the ultimate goal. I felt like a Belgian to be here this long and limit my mobility. The hard work is paying off," Brand said.

Brand started the race in the front row. The strong winds and icy rain made for a very tough challenge, with countless sand sections and a huge bridge with a 20 percent grade connecting the hippodrome to the beach.

Defending champion Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado broke away in the first corner and pulled away from triple world champion Sanne Canto (Belgium). The two were never in contention for a medal.

Betsema broke away on the opening lap and put pressure on Brand. She made a few mistakes and Betsema extended her lead to over 10 seconds.

"Denise had a great start and opened up a big gap. I wasn't always in the ideal position. But I knew how to handle it because it had happened before. Before the race, especially after watching the men's U23 race, I knew I shouldn't give up because it was going to be a long, tough race. The beach was really tough. There was obviously some wind, especially as we were sinking deeper into the sand."

Midway through the race, Brand and Worst caught up with Bettsma. 'I was really surprised at how well Annemarie was doing. We helped each other to get back to Dennis. If I could go with someone, I could do more. If she could do it, I could do it," Brand said to himself.

"The last lap was really close. The last lap was really close. I still had some sand sprint left in my legs."

The three Dutchwomen went into the final lap together, repeating last year's thrilling scenario. Betsema blew her engine on the final seaside pass and Brand swung the hammer.

"Last week was one of my worst races technically, but today I went with the flow and dared to slide in the corners," Brand said. With 12 wins in 24 races this season, he has only missed the podium once, last weekend at the X2O Trophy Series' Flandrien Cross.

The final part of today's course was a series of twists and turns on the slippery grass of the Ostend Hippodrome. After a long straightaway section, Worst overtook Brand to lead the race into Saturday's final corner.

"She was riding really hard. I expected her to come in, but I didn't think she was that fast," Brand said. On the next uphill corner, Brand took a different line and dove under Worst.

"We were always running different lines and at the last point we were right at a crossroads. I cut inside and touched her elbow or something. That was the weakest point where we were most likely to make contact with each other, so unfortunately she fell over. I would have preferred a different scenario, but you can't turn back time," Brand explained.

"The last meter took a load off my shoulders. It finally worked out. I felt proud."

When asked about his future goals with his road team, Trek-Segafredo, and a possible breakup with cyclocross, Brand dismissed those expectations.

"I'm having too much fun to move elsewhere. I have enough goals and room for improvement. This is not the end. Paris-Roubaix is the big goal, but now it's time to enjoy this victory." After all these years of hard work, it finally worked out." He said.