LUCINDA BRAND SIGNS UP FOR DUAL ROLE WITH CANYON//SRAM

Very few riders have witnessed the evolution of women’s cycling as closely as Lucinda Brand. After more than 18 years at the top, the highly respected Dutchwoman is set to enter her second decade in the sport, signing with CANYON//SRAM until 2028.

For Lucinda, the appeal of CANYON//SRAM has been clear for some time:

“I’ve been following the team for years already. Our paths never really crossed before, but I always thought it would be somewhere I could feel at home. My feelings were good from the very first conversation, and I came away really excited. It was almost like a new fire had been lit inside me. The way the team views cycling, their commitment to their athletes, and their attitude towards improving their professional environment align perfectly with my own mindset and how I like to approach the sport. This, combined with the team’s long-term vision for my role, made it an easy decision to commit.”

As Lucinda hints at above, there’s more to this move than simply a change of team. She’ll first join CANYON//SRAM as a rider, with Paris-Roubaix Femmes in 2028 marking her final professional race. She’ll then transition into a staffing role within the team – a natural evolution, perhaps.

“Over the last few years, I’ve noticed that my role as a rider has become more than just racing. In a way, I’ve already been taking on the responsibilities that a sports director might have, and I’ve discovered how much I enjoy that side of the sport. I really love working with young, ambitious athletes, sharing my experience, and helping them grow. It’s something I’d love to explore further and develop myself in. That’s why it was important for me to find a team that recognised those qualities and was willing to give me an opportunity to grow in that direction.”

While perhaps best known these days for her invaluable contributions as a powerhouse domestique, a respected authority within a team and an all-round force of nature, Lucinda has spent years accumulating the experience and knowledge that underpin these qualities.

Since entering the elite ranks in 2009, she has gradually built one of the most comprehensive palmarès in the modern peloton. Across her career, the 37-year-old has amassed 28 wins, including Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the Dutch National Championships and general classification victories at the Tour de Suisse Women, Thüringen Ladies Tour and Baloise Ladies Tour.

One race in which Lucinda has been a particularly enduring presence – and a highly successful one – is the Giro d’Italia Women. She has worn the pink jersey, claimed the mountains classification and taken multiple stage victories, returning to the race for a remarkable 15th appearance this year. She came close to adding another win to that tally on stage 7, finishing second from a crafty breakaway. Two other UCI podiums in 2026 are further evidence that her longevity has never come at the expense of competitiveness.

That same consistency and versatility is also evident in one-day classics, where top-five finishes at Strade Bianche, Ronde van Drenthe and La Flèche Wallonne sit alongside podiums at Dwars door Vlaanderen, Amstel Gold Race, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and, her favourite, Paris-Roubaix. Since making her debut and placing third in 2022, Lucinda has lined up at every edition, adding a top 10 this year and building a real affinity for the race dubbed the “Hell of the North”.

“It’s always been a very special race to me. I love the challenge, the way the race unfolds, and the toughness of the cobbles – riding over them is unique and not something everyone can do.”

Now, with CANYON//SRAM, she has two more chances to chase glory in the Roubaix velodrome. 

“When the opportunity came along to potentially finish my road cycling career at Paris-Roubaix, I knew straight away that it was a chance I had to grab with both hands.”

But while the prospect of a fitting finale at Roubaix holds clear appeal, Lucinda’s desire to keep racing remains as strong as ever.

“Cycling is a sport where you can win, even if you aren’t the strongest in the race. Making plans before and during the race to beat your competitors is something I never get tired of.”

It’s no surprise, then, that her ideal race sounds a lot like the racing philosophy that has kept her hooked for so long.

“For me, the perfect race is when you make a plan with the team and everything is executed just the way you wanted, ending with a win for your leader. You so often make plans to take control of the race, but it rarely goes exactly as hoped. When it does happen, though, it gives you such a buzz.”

For CANYON//SRAM Director of Sport Rolf Aldag, Lucinda’s physical capabilities, tactical nous and leadership credentials make her an obvious fit for the team’s next phase:

“There are a lot of changes happening to our roster, and we’ll have quite a few younger riders, so we need to create the right mix of potential versus experience and leadership. Therefore, Lucinda was a very obvious choice for us.

On the bike, she’s essentially the extended arm of a sports director, and as those involved in the racing side know, there are always critical race situations where the car cannot and should not make the call on what to do next. Instead, it’s crucial to make really quick decisions from within the peloton – weighing up the race situation without being in panic. From all that we’ve seen of Lucinda throughout her career, she is excellent at doing exactly that. She creates trusting relationships between riders, and gets herself into those important race moments. Then, she’s able to make those essential calls, and have 100% buy-in from her teammates.

Having Lucinda is as much about leadership as it is mentorship. If you’re a young rider, I could hardly imagine looking at Lucinda’s career and then not listening to her! But, it’s not all about race results, it’s also how she also lives and pays attention to all the smaller details that are critical for reaching the very top. So, I think she can mentor our younger riders really well, and then bring a lot of stability to the classics team, which is a strong sporting focus for the next two years. We believe that the addition of Lucinda will be a real game-changer for us.”

As for what excites Rolf the most about having a rider of Lucinda’s calibre at his disposal:

“All of the above, and more! We’ve got a very experienced rider coming onboard, who is super well-respected, both within her own team and the wider peloton. She’s now willing to take that next step in her career and contribute to building a team up, rather than only looking for results, which is really cool to see.”

Lucinda expands on Rolf’s assessment:

“I didn’t want this to be just one more year on the bike. I wanted it to be the beginning of a longer-term project, where I could keep contributing to the sport and build on what I’ve already done as a rider. I really feel that this team shares my passion, ambition and philosophy on cycling, which gives me a lot of energy and motivation for this next chapter, and for what we can create together.”

The team’s structure and culture are another big part of the appeal:

“One thing I’m really looking forward to is being a part of a team that is completely focused on women’s cycling again. I’ve spent the last years in a very big organisation, with different teams all under one roof, and that has been a great experience. But, I’m really excited about coming into a smaller environment, where the lines are shorter, communication is more direct, and everyone is working towards the same goal. What I really like is that CANYON//SRAM still has a whole pathway – from development to the pro team – but within an organisation that is fully built for women’s cycling. I think that creates a really special atmosphere and I’m looking forward to being part of it. And, of course, I have to say it might also be the team with the most swag in the peloton… so I’m quite excited to look super swaggy on the bike again!”

Away from the road, Lucinda’s distinguished cyclo-cross career with Baloise Glowi Lions will continue, following an announcement on Friday that the two parties had extended their partnership. After establishing herself as a leading road rider, she added cyclo-cross to her elite racing calendar in 2016. A decade on, she is one of the most decorated and consistent competitors, with two elite World titles and overall victories in major series, including the UCI World Cup.

Now, from January 1, Lucinda will combine this cyclo-cross programme with CANYON//SRAM’s road set-up, bringing not only a vast array of qualities, but also a formidable dual-discipline engine to the team. But, there will be one date on the calendar when her two worlds will still meet.

“For me, Paris-Roubaix is the race where road cycling and cyclocross come together in a beautiful way. Every time I think about racing it, my heart beats just that little bit faster.”