Vanthourenhout wins with a perfect move and Brand continues her dominance: results of the 2025 Terralba CX World Cup

The Cyclocross World Cup landed in Terralba with an authentic mud pit where Michael Vanthourenhout regained his feelings after an irregular winter start and secured a victory built on pure positioning. In the women's race, Lucinda Brand dominated from start to finish to extend a historic streak that seems to have no ceiling.

Vanthourenhout made the perfect move to break the race

The men's race became a rarity with high rhythms, multiple attempts, and a large group of candidates for victory. The Terralba course looked fast in the compact areas and technical in the sand sections, but the narrow sections blocked any premature escape.

With two laps to go, the group had already been reduced to a selection of five men (Vanthourenhout, Nieuwenhuis, Sweeck, Vandeputte, and Kamp) and the race was moving more by anticipation than by strength.

In the decisive lap, where it was practically impossible to overtake without taking risks, Vanthourenhout chose the exact moment and with a short move, from the inside, in a muddy area, he allowed himself to emerge in first position just before facing the most decisive sections. He opened an immediate gap that Nieuwenhuis and Sweeck tried to close, but the difference was already irreversible.

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The Belgian crossed the finish line in Terralba as the winner of the third round of the 2025-26 World Cup, his first triumph in the competition this winter. A result that also puts him back in the fight for the overall standings, where he has climbed to fourth place.

Top 5 World Cup CX Terralba Elite Men

1. Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen–Altez Industriebouw) — 1:03:17
2. Joris Nieuwenhuis (Ridley Racing Team) — +0:01
3. Laurens Sweeck (Crelan–Corendon) — +0:01
4. Ryan Kamp — +0:07
5. Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin–Deceuninck) — +0:08

Brand dominates, controls, and extends her streak in Terralba

If the men's race was a game of chess in the mud, the women's race had a standout name from the first lap. Lucinda Brand imposed a superior pace as soon as the race stabilized, opening a gap in one of the sand sections and increasing the difference lap by lap.

Although the start had been lively, the leading group fell apart in a matter of minutes as soon as Brand took the lead. Behind her, Van Alphen, Shirin van Anrooij, Leonie Bentveld, and Sara Casasola held on.

The withdrawal of Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, still affected by her knee injury, left the Dutchwoman without one of the rivals who could best respond to her in long races.

From the second lap onwards, Brand steadily increased her lead, while Van Alphen and Van Anrooij engaged in a duel for second place, with neither able to think about closing in on the leader.

The final lap only confirmed that Brand is, to this day, at a level apart from the rest. Terralba thus becomes her ninth victory in eleven races this season, a statistic that only reinforces her monumental streak of consecutive podiums.

Top 5 World Cup CX Terralba Elite Women

1. Lucinda Brand (Baloise Glowi Lions) — 47:14
2. Aniek van Alphen (Seven Racing) — +0:20
3. Shirin van Anrooij (Baloise Glowi Lions) — +0:33
4. Leonie Bentveld (Pauwels Sauzen–Altez Industriebouw) — +1:02
5. Sara Casasola (Crelan–Corendon) — +1:02