World Cup overall winner Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions) is one of the dominant riders in the somewhat short 2020-2021 cyclocross season, and with the UCI Cyclocross World Championships just days away, she will be looking to take her first rainbow jersey in the discipline She is committed to winning it.

The 31-year-old told Wielerflits (opens in new tab) that winning the world championship title would be "the crowning glory of a great season."

Brand has come close to the title in previous years, finishing third and second behind Sanne Canto (Belgium) in 2018 and 2019, respectively, and third behind fellow Dutchwoman Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado last year.

This season, Brand has recorded 11 wins and twice as many podiums, leading the Superprestige and X2O Trophies in addition to her World Cup win. Her consistency this season has placed her in an elite group of winners, along with defending champion Alvarado, compatriots Denise Betsema and Annemarie Werst, and wild card riders including Marianne Vos and US champion Clara Honsinger. which places her in the elite group of favorites to win.

Brand, who enjoys the excitement that comes with the pressure of being a contender, said she would be satisfied with her season even if she did not win Saturday's Ostend.

"If it doesn't work out, I'm selling myself short by claiming my season wasn't a success. I have 11 wins, and just as important, I have grown well. Then it's not wise to beat yourself up over one race. But of course I will try to win in Ostend."

Brand, who races on the road for Trek-Segafredo, dabbled in cyclocross as a junior, but then focused on the road and didn't really get into cross until 2016. Sand may have been a weakness before, but training with Sven Nys and her teammates has greatly improved her technical skills.

The training was "pretty intensive," Brand said, adding that the advice from Neace and hours of practice to perfect his tips paid off.

The adage that "the bike steers itself" in the sand is not exactly the answer, she said. "I let the bike find its own way: ...... I tried once to literally let the handlebars do it for me. I came to a complete stop in the middle of a sand strip. But there are nuances to that story. You need to guide the handlebars a little bit."

The brand is "a bit of a challenge.

Brand showed off his improved sand technique in one of the few sand races this season, the Zilbermeer Cross in Mol, where he won a hard-fought battle with sand specialist Betsema. In the other sand race, the Suhelde Cross, he lost to Betzema by the same margin.

Brand, however, does not consider Mol to be a reference for the World Championships in Ostend. He said, "Ceylin [del Carmen Alvarado] wasn't there, and the sands of Ostend are not the sands of Mol. The sands of Ostend are not the sands of Mal. We never ran in the exact same sand as other places.

"Ceylin has definitely taken another step forward since the last camp. Dennis is always good in the sand. Annemarie [Worst] is hard to estimate. In the last few weeks she didn't seem to be able to keep up the pace throughout the competition, but at the World Championships she only needs to be fresh for one day.

"Sanne [Canto] showed in the last race that she has good legs. But she is a champion racer. It is not wise to underestimate your rivals in the World Championships."

"The Dutch team is a very good team.

The Dutch team is incredibly strong, but Brand said everyone will race their own race.

"National coach Gerben de Knegt must say that he doesn't care who wins as long as it's in the orange jersey. Yes, we will race our own race. If there are non-Holland jerseys nearby, you have to use your head. So it is important to make sure that the front is only orange. That way we can race as usual."