Lucinda Model is but to complete off the rostrum of a cyclocross race this season – a run of 24 top-three finishes on the bounce. With two extra victories in consecutive days this weekend, the 35-year-old cemented her title as probably the most constant rider within the elite ladies’s discipline.
Model’s run of consecutive podiums extends even past this season having completed within the prime three of her remaining eight races final season, making it 32 podiums in a row. Solely Puck Pieterse (35 races) and Marianne Vos (51 races) have had longer podium streaks amongst energetic ladies’s riders in cyclocross.
The Baloise Glowi Lions rider leads the ladies’s World Cup standings by 61 factors with three rounds remaining and will seal the general sequence on the subsequent spherical in Benidorm later this month. Model additionally leads each the distinguished Superprestige and X20 Badkamers Trofee sequence as she bids to finish a clear sweep of titles.
She led from begin to end to win her second World Cup spherical of the season in Dendermonde on Sunday, forward of rivals Pieterse in second and world champion Fem Van Empel in third.
“It feels superb to win, after all,” mentioned Model after clinching victory by 30 seconds. “But in addition I believe it is the primary time I believed ‘Oh one other lap, actually?'”
“On the finish of the penultimate lap, my hole elevated so I simply needed to deal with the very robust elements and to maintain sufficient pace there.
“The mud was tremendous heavy. First I had a battle with Puck [Pieterse]. However in some unspecified time in the future, in case you drive there alone, it is tremendous good to have a lot encouragement [from the crowd].”
The World Cup win was Model’s tenth race in 15 days through the Christmas and New Yr interval, ranging from the World Cup in Hulst on December 21. Model additionally completed runner-up on the sand dunes of Koksijde on Friday earlier than successful at Gullegem on Saturday and in Dendermonde 24 hours later to shut out a busy weekend.
“Sure, it is absurd and the coaching logic isn’t there, I believe,” added Model.
“However the coaching logic does say that it’s important to put together for the World Cup.”
Model mentioned {that a} ‘implausible’ highway season with Lidl Trek has contributed in direction of her cyclo-cross success.
After final season’s cyclocross marketing campaign, Model competed within the spring Classics earlier than successful the 1.1 ranked Elmos Dwars door het Hageland in June and a stage of the Internationale LOTTO Thüringen Girls Tour.
Model completed the Giro d’Italia Girls earlier than putting eighth total within the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift after a surprising journey on the ultimate day up Alpe d’Huez, which additionally noticed her teammate Gaia Realini take fifth total.
She posted on Instagram after taking victory at Gullegem and the Superprestige lead.
“This season is simply superb! So many individuals ask me how I handle to indicate up recent and prepared for each single race,” Model mentioned. “After a troublesome few years of unhealthy luck and accidents and well being, the whole lot is lastly going in keeping with plan!
“Because of a implausible highway season with Lidl Trek, I’ve constructed up an unbelievable basis. Now, it’s all about fine-tuning each little element. Diet, coaching, restoration, and surrounding myself with the best folks— that is the place the actual positive aspects are made.
“This yr, I’ve constructed an unbelievable help workforce: a devoted masseur, physio, chiropractor, coach, and extra. Every bit of the puzzle issues, and collectively, we’re elevating the bar!
“We’ve additionally made an enormous step ahead with our gear. SRAM Highway has offered us with the best possible gear, fine-tuned to perfection!
“After which there’s my coach, Paul Van Den Bosch, who is just the very best. Collectively, we’ve created a exact plan to sort out my weaknesses head-on. Paul calls me each single day to verify we’re on monitor and to tweak issues if wanted. His ardour and steerage are actually inspiring!
“Shifting to Belgium has been one other game-changer. I’m on my ‘cross bike greater than ever, my journey time is all the way down to a fraction, and I’m loving life in my stunning forest!”
Model is the defending Dutch ladies’s nationwide cyclo-cross champion however may decide out of a title defence in favour of a coaching camp alongside the highway squad. With the World Cup spherical in Benidorm arriving in simply two weeks’ time, Model is amongst the riders who might elect to skip the nationwide championships and keep in Spain for Lidl-Trek’s coaching camp in Denia.
“I’ll Spain anyway,” Model added. “I am going to sleep once more first, nevertheless it’s actually doable that I simply keep there.”
