"I threw it all away" - British rider walks away from Cyclocross Europeans empty-handed despite setting the fastest lap in race
Cyclocross
Great Britain's Cameron Mason put in one of the strongest performances in Sunday's Cyclocross European Championships on Sunday. However, walking away with a sixth place finish, he expressed his disappointment following an eventful battle behind the front of the race.
In a technical Zeddam course, which featured multiple sections of narrow track offering little chance to gain ground in terms of position, the Scottish rider suffered a major setback from the outset.
In a high-octane opening lap, Mason found himself out of position, dropping as far back as 27th place as Belgium and the Netherlands made the pace high from the outset.
In the subsequent laps, Mason rallied as he worked his way through the field. Eventually reaching the main chase groups in the final laps - he set the fastest lap time of the day in the seventh of nine repetitions of the circuit. His 6:19 effort saw him better eventual winner Thibau Nys's finale surge to victory.
It was exactly that remarkable comeback that leaves a particular taste of disappointment for the 26-year-old as the dust settled. With one lap to go, he had bridged across to the main chase group behind Nys and silver medal Joran Wyseure.
With a bronze medal on the table, a sixth place was the final result for Mason as Niels Vandeputte took bronze, Joris Nieuwenhuis came in fourth and Kevin Kuhn took fifth place. Reflecting on the race, Mason believes he 'threw it all away' in an honest assessment of his day's work.
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"That’s why today hurts so much"
"I didn’t stop believing, until one lap to go, when I threw it all away. Even after the shocking position I put myself in on the first part of the race, I wasn’t raised to be a quitter," Mason said in a post-race statement on social media.
"Today, like with the rest of life, I realised no one is going to do it for you. There will be many wonderful people who will help, guide and believe in you. But when it really matters, it’s all on you."
After his 2023 silver medal in the European Championships, Mason's quest for a marquee major championships victory goes on. In a promising start to the season, he hasn't been outside the top ten in seven starts.
He added: "That’s why today hurts so much. To show just how much I wanted it, but to fall short of a result on paper.
"But what a privilege it is to put my heart and soul into doing hard things. I will be back."
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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- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling for
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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