Brand named European cyclocross champion after Schreiber penalised
Lucinda Brand, 37, was named European champion in Zeddam after the jury penalised Luxembourg's Marie Schreiber, who crossed the line first, for an irregular sprint.
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Illustrative photo: Sjaak Kempe / CC BY 2.0It is the tenth year in a row that a Dutch woman has won the European title. Belgium's Sanne Cant in 2017 was the last winner from another country.
Lucinda Brand is European cyclocross champion after the jury penalised Marie Schreiber of Luxembourg, who had won the sprint in Zeddam, in Gelderland, on Saturday. The jury ruled a few minutes after the finish that Schreiber's sprint was irregular: Brand had to brake when Schreiber moved off her line.
Schreiber, 23, was unhappy with the decision and chose not to take part in the podium ceremony.
Carmen Alvarado of the Netherlands took bronze. She had joined Brand and Schreiber in the final lap, but a fall kept her from sprinting for the title.
Last year's European champion, Inge van der Heijden, finished fourth. Fem van Empel, a three-time European and three-time world champion who returned this year after a year's absence, finished thirteenth.
Brand, 37, started as the top favourite on a course in Zeddam known for its long staircase (lange trap). Last year she could not live up to that role. On Saturday she did.
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