Dutch rider Lucinda Brand was crowned women’s cyclo-cross European Champion on Saturday in Zeddam, Netherlands, after Luxembourg’s Marie Schreiber was relegated to second place following a rules infraction in the final sprint.
Schreiber initially dominated the seven-lap race on the nearly three-kilometre track. After taking an early 13-second lead in the first lap, the Luxembourg national champion maintained her advantage. Trailing in second and third were Dutch world champion Lucinda Brand and her compatriot Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, who quickly pulled clear of the rest of the field.
Brand and Alvarado increased their pace in front of the home crowd, gradually chipping away at Schreiber’s lead. Although Brand fell during the fourth lap and briefly lost contact with Alvarado, she managed to recover and catch the leading duo. Over the final three laps, the three riders raced neck-and-neck, holding a one-minute advantage over fourth place.
In the seventh and final lap, Alvarado crashed, leaving Schreiber and Brand to contest the title. Schreiber initially crossed the finish line first with a time of 51:37, narrowly edging out the world champion in a prolonged sprint. However, race officials ruled that Schreiber had committed a rules violation during her final manoeuvre against Brand. As a result, Schreiber was demoted to second place, and Brand was awarded the victory, succeeding Inge van der Heijden as European champion. Alvarado recovered to finish third, 17 seconds behind the winner.
In other categories at the Zeddam event, 19-year-old Luxembourgish rider Lennox Papi finished 31st in the men’s under-23 race, crossing the line three minutes and 29 seconds behind the winner. Frenchman Aubin Sparfel claimed victory in that event.
Earlier on Saturday morning, 16-year-old Sarah Koenig of Luxembourg placed 31st in the junior women’s category, finishing three minutes and six seconds behind the race winner, Belgium’s Lentel Huys.
