X2O Trofee Brussels Women – Preview
By @EchelonsHub
The Course
We have the final round of the X2O Trofee tomorrow and it will be in Brussels that the final steps will be taken.
It will be quite a windy yet sunny day, with the possibility of some mud on the track due to recent rainfall, essentially the same as in Gavere today. That should make it even tricker, as the track is extremely technical. It’s a very physical course, includes several running sections, very complicated downhill features, steep banks to climb, nasty off-camber sections and with plenty of areas where riders constantly loose speed and have to regain it.
Lucinda Brand only has to make a safe race to take her title, as she has with the World Cup and the Superprestige, Denise Betsema put on a big fight throughout the season but ended up loosing a lot of time in Lille last week and unless a very specific set of circumstances would happen, it’s unlikely to see her get the lead back.
Recon of the track between 1:15and 11:48: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9_uU52cl1g&t=705s
The Startlist
| 1.Lucinda Brand | 2.Sanne Cant | 3.Denise Betsema | 4.Annemarie Worst |
| 5.Hélène Clauzel | 6.Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado | 7.Manon Bakker | 8.Alicia Franck |
| 9.Marion Norbert Riberolle | 10.Perrine Clauzel | 11.Aniek van Alphen | 12.Zoe Backstedt |
| 13.Marie Schreiber | 14.Ellen van Loy | 15.Suzanne Verhoeven | 16.Laura Verdonschot |
| 17.Anna Kay | 18.Jinse Peeters | 19.Rebecca Gariboldi | 20.Xaydee van Sinaey |
| 21.Karen Verhestraeten | 22.Maud Kaptheijns | 23.Julie Brouwers | 24.Fauve Bastiaenssen |
| 25.Jana Doobbelaere | 26.Corey Coogan | 27.Maité Barthels | 28.Fleur Moors |
| 29.Allison Arensman | 30.Loes Sels | 31.Femke Gort | 32.Audrey de Keersmaeker |
| 33.Adele Hurteloup | 34.Juline Delcommune | 35.Famke van Waterschoot | 36.Lies’L Schevenels |
| 37.Rosite Reijnhout | 38.Lore de Schepper | 39.Zélie Graux | 40.Evelien Hus |
| 41.Tine Rombouts | 42.Susanne Meistrok | 43.Sterre Hendrickx | 44.Cato Cassiers |
| 45.Yentl Bekeaert | 46.Laura Greenhalgh | 47.Sara Beeckmans | 48.Kiona Dhont |
| 49.Tinne Vermeiren | 50.Lucie Francois | 51.Alana Polfliet | 52.Bo Vandermeulen |
| 53.Christine Verdonck |
Startlist provided by the organization, may not be correct.
The Favourites
Another day another opportunity to beat Lucinda Brand. Will it happen though? I doubt, with no Marianne Vos at the startline and the way she’s been riding it’s hard to imagine anyone beating the European champion who took another dominant win today.
Having attacked on the opening lap she won confidently, the gap wasn’t too big though so it does give hope that the rivals can get close to her with a good day, or some little mistakes, that’s likely what Annemarie Worst and Denise Betsema will be hoping for as they start the race tomorrow, perhaps trying out a different strategy.
There will be a Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado though who puts another card on the table, being an expert on technical explosive circuits it’s likely that she will give quite a fight, however if she can take Brand head-on is a different question.
The likes of Sanne Cant, Hélène Clauzel, Manon Bakker, Zoe Backstedt and Aniek van Alphen will also be eyeing a place in the Top5, perhaps more if they find themselves on a good day.
Prediction Time
1st– Lucinda Brand
2nd– Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado
3rd– Annemarie Worst
4th– Denise Betsema
5th– Zoe Backstedt
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