Dramatic relegation, podium no-show and subdued Lucinda Brand interview - Controversial jury decision as Marie Schreiber's European Championships victory overturned
Cyclocross
The elite women's race at the 2026 Cyclocross European Championships served up a dramatic finale as Marie Schreiber crossed the line first ahead of Lucinda Brand. But afterwards, confusion took hold as race officials relegated her for a sprint deviation as Brand was awarded the title and the Luxembourg rider no-showed the podium presentation.
Schreiber's sprint deviation, edging slightly left in the run-up to the line, was enough for commissaires to relegate her to the silver medal. Meanwhile, world champion Lucinda Brand admitted that the title didn't feel quite the same following the process.
Some time after the finish itself, the podium presentation saw Schreiber absent following the updated result, a reserved Brand and Netherlands bronze medallist Ceylin Alvado also cutting a disappointed figure after suffering a crash and injuring her hand in the process.
After an entertaining race saw Brand, Alvarado and Schreiber trade attacks and placings throughout the seven laps in Zeddam. The trio ultimately blew apart the field from the opening laps as they guaranteed the medals would be decided in the final lap.
After the sprint, Brand reflected on her second European title after her first in 2021. It's her seventh participation in the elite race, and she's never been off the podium, with now two wins, three silver medals and two bronze medals.
Looking visibly affected by the decision, Brand said: "Yes, here's another title, it's a lot of the sprints title I have took, and yeah, it was a tough race."
Lucinda brand reacts to overturned result
Walking media through her final lap, Brand admitted that Schreiber drove the pace well, acknowledging Alvarado's final lap crash and paying tribute to the Luxembourgish rider.
"Yes, well, the whole last lap was tough. Marie was super strong the whole race, and especially on the stairs. She really pushed us to the limit there, and that's maybe also why Celia made a mistake.
"And then I came on the tarmac for the sprint, and she just started a little second earlier than I started. And I tried to come up, and I came next to her, and yes, well... how it ended up is a jury decision, of course."
The 37-year-old had little to add after a tense period of confusion following the finish, admitting that the incident led to it feeling different from the other accolades throughout her storied career.
She added: "This result, and yeah, nothing else I can say about it, actually. Of course, every title is really nice, but yeah, this one will still feel a bit different, I have to admit."
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- lol yeahmij08-11-2026
- I know, their headlines can be so misleading. Pidcock had a great season with 5 wins. and some solid 2nds. no reason to take away from that with a fake headline.mij08-11-2026
- You can clearly see the the posture change from slightly sitting to again out of the saddle while changing of gears in the video of the sprintabstractengineer08-11-2026
- He has already beaten Pogi twice in the TDF. the achievement is over. He cannot beat Pogi now and he only has a few years left at the top. Win Giro and compete in the TDF, maximise palmares.abstractengineer08-11-2026
- Just looked again at the photo. Yeah I stand by that. If MS had fallen over in Brands direction I don’t even think she would have hit her. You must be a UCI race commissioner. I’ll be sure to check my sock height should I ever see you on a ride. Looks like everyone else on here sees what I see.mij08-11-2026
- I said looking at the photo it doesn’t appear she deviated. Chill out, not stating my word is the final judgement. Just commenting that based on the photo I don’t see it. And BTW the Dutch coach even said she didn’t impede her.mij08-11-2026
- Blah Blah Blah !frieders308-11-2026
- MS said she was changing gears so that caused her slight deviation. Nothing was intentional.frieders308-11-2026
- How can you use a photo post incident to judge the incident itself (which is not hard to find if you’re prepared to invest the same amount of time in searching as writing that comment? It’s harsh but technically right even though this or worse is not always sanctioned in every race. The two things that went against MS (who unfortunately for her would still have won without making her mistake) are that it was not a bunch sprint where there could have been an overlooked incident or mitigating circumstances explaining a deviation. Everything was focused on just those 2, Schreiber was riding beautifully balanced which made her sudden deviation look unnatural stroke as if it could have been in some part intentional whilst she was slowly drifting ever closer towards the barrier to a point that would have reached obstruction level. In her defence, it might have been the realisation she was heading towards that that made her react suddenly and caused the deviation involuntarily. In any case, congratulations to her for the ride of her life, in people’s minds she will be credited for it.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Good boy Obviously doesn’t need that much help dealing with pressure, as some have suggested. Wiser (and humbler) than many far further along their careers. About offering him the moon, recently someone came up with an explanation of the downfall of a football great (either referring to Maradona or Portuguese Ronaldo) saying it was kind of normal after coming back from the moon, except that others, including some who actually did go to the moon like Armstrong (Neil in case anyone is too switched off to realise) didn’t go through any of the same motions after coming back. A lot of how you deal with situations has less to do with the situation than with your character.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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