Sports · Other Sports · 2 hrs ago
Lucinda Brand wins European cyclo-cross title after rival is relegated
Lucinda Brand was awarded the European cyclo-cross title after a close finish in Zeddam, the Netherlands.
Luxembourg’s Marie Schreiber crossed the line first, but officials later relegated her to second for an irregular sprint.
Schreiber had moved to her left as Brand tried to pass near the finish.
She said the movement was not deliberate and called the decision unfair.
Brand said the pair were closely matched and that she had not filed an official complaint.
The jury reviewed the finish and changed the result, making Brand the champion; Schreiber’s response suggests the decision remains disputed.
Lucinda Brand won the elite women’s European Cyclo-cross title in Zeddam after the race jury relegated Marie Schreiber to second place.
The two riders finished a close sprint shoulder to shoulder, and neither initially knew who had won.
Schreiber crossed the line first, but the jury later ruled that her sprint involved an irregularity.
Schreiber said the decision was unjust, while Brand said she had not filed an official complaint.
- Who
- Lucinda Brand won, and Marie Schreiber was relegated to second place.
- What
- Brand won the elite women’s European Cyclo-cross title after the jury ruled Schreiber’s final sprint irregular.
- When
- Saturday, November 7, 2026.
- Where
- Zeddam, the Netherlands.
- Why
- The jury cited an irregularity in the final sprint. The sources do not give further details of the jury’s reasoning.
Marie Schreiber
Race jury
Ruling
Marie Schreiber
Schreiber said the decision was unjust and that she had won.
Race jury
The jury deemed her sprint irregular and relegated her to second place.
Sprint movement
Marie Schreiber
Schreiber acknowledged moving left but said she did not close the door on purpose.
Race jury
The jury ruled that an irregularity had occurred in the final sprint.
Schreiber built a 13-second lead, with Alvarado and then Brand chasing her.
Brand put Alvarado under pressure, and Alvarado slid out on a corner, leaving Brand and Schreiber at the front.
Schreiber led out the sprint and crossed the line first in a close finish with Brand.
The jury reviewed the sprint and relegated Schreiber to second, naming Brand the winner.
- Winner
- Lucinda Brand
- Second place
- Marie Schreiber
- Event
- Elite women’s European Cyclo-cross title
- Location
- Zeddam, the Netherlands
- Jury ruling
- Schreiber relegated to second for an irregularity in the final sprint
- Schreiber’s opening-lap lead
- 13 seconds
4 sources
Commissaire who relegated Marie Schreiber at the European Cyclo-cross Championships has a history with her SD Worx-Protime team
European Cyclocross Championships Hit by Controversy, Hints of Legal Action
What people are saying
The UCI and the UEC and everyone, they always advocate for a clean and fair sport and then they do this. It is also not fair
I did not close the door on purpose or anything.
Marie could keep up with the acceleration I made. She could handle the speed. So I had the idea that I was being beaten on value.