INSIDE THE BUNCH:Lucinda Brand

The CX star gets better results in the forest than in her garden

How have you stayed motivated with no racing on?

We’ve always been able to ride outside in the Netherlands and the weather has been fantastic, so I’ve been really motivated to get outside and train. I’ve realized that I really like what I do! But there have also been downs where I have asked: what am I doing this for? When the new calendar was released and the team started searching for training camps, I felt so excited.

What have you learned during the lockdown?

I tried to fix my garden but I’ve found out that I can’t stay focused on it for long. Normally I have the excuse that I’m not at home, but now when I’m there all the plants are still dying! They need so much water.

What’s the longest you’ve spent on the turbo trainer?

I only learned how to ride on Zwift during the lockdown. When I was younger I remember riding a turbo for three hours and it was a mental killer, something I never want to do again. My longest recently is 90 minutes. Because I ride cyclo-cross when the weather isn’t the best I head into the forest for a ride or a run.

Were you happy with your cyclocross season?