"It's just mind-boggling" - No explanations as to why Marie Schreiber was relegated at European Championships
Cyclocross
This weekend featured the cyclocross European Championships in Zeddam, where Lucinda Brand and Thibau Nys took the wins. On this week's CyclingUpToDate Podcast, Rúben Silva and Gavin Quinn discussed the two explosive and also controversial races.
The women's event was marked by the largest controversy of the winter so far. In the final sprint of the race, Marie Schreiber crossed the line first, but was relegated due to a deviation in the sprint.
However, Lucinda Brand and her camp did not ask for that, and didn't consider the move decisive. "The truth is that there wasn't an official complaint from Brand, and she believes, as well, that she probably wouldn't have won even with Schreiber's movement," Silva said.
"I think, from personal opinion, that from the footage that we've seen, it's not clear and it's not evident [...] that it was bad for her sprint". Brand did not contest the result, but the UCI commissaires decided to relegate the rider from Luxembourg, and awarded the victory to Brand - the reigning home champion.
"The deviation was so small that it actually took a replay to notice that it happened," Quinn argued. It had been speculated that the composition of the commissaire team, built up of mostly Dutch individuals, could've been a factor in the decision.
"There was a bit of confusion about whether the Netherlands had complained, whether Lucinda Brand had complained. And I think both 'camp Lucinda' and the Netherlands said straight away that they didn't contest the results, that it didn't come down to centimeters necessarily. I think at the finish line we had around a wheel, give or take, in terms of a gap".
The result was then highly controversial, with many in the race and social media contesting the decision. "So yeah, Lucinda Brand and the Netherlands both kind of not protesting the results".
Race-wise, the SD Worx rider impressed the competition, thriving in a very fast circuit - marked by a long stair section where she appeared to thrive. "I think Schreiber would have always been the woman to beat, taking into consideration the first laps of the race that you've seen," Silva argued.
"The finish line incidents, it's just mind-boggling to me a little bit. I've also seen speculation that the commissars were largely made up of a Dutch committee [and that could've been decisive]. And I don't think that that would have been the decision maker, but it added fuel to the fire, let's put it like that".
Marie Schreiber skips podium ceremony
Ultimately, Schreiber and her coach Sanne Cant (former three-time World Champion) decided for the rider not to take to the podium, in protest of the decision at issue.
"Obviously, the race organizers will have the option to make the decision themselves. But I don't think that I've seen a situation like this in the past, where a victory is removed without really anyone asking or calling for it [...] And I can't grasp, like, who is this outcome for?"
An injured Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado and the official winner Lucinda Brand eventually took to the podium, marked by the 23-year old's absence.
"I don't think that I've seen a cycling race before where the podium was just such an unusual composition, because Alvarado seemed to be clearly injured - She got a hand injury during the race".
"Schreiber was absent, protesting the result; and Lucinda Brand was on the top step. But it didn't feel like she believed herself to be the rightful winner, whilst it's none of her fault, none of her decision".
Marie Schreiber was absent from the podium of the women's elite race
Thibau Nys the main cyclocross specialist outside of van der Poel and Van Aert
The men's race featured a final-lap battle, but no two-up sprint that could lead to a similar situation. Thibau Nys took the victory over Joran Wyseure who's started the winter with stellar form; a week after winning the Koppenbergcross.
"This was a race that was Nys to lose almost, because after he won the Koppenbergcross, I had him as the main favourite," Silva stated. "Because he is just a very explosive rider. I saw the women's race, and I could not think of another name to win this one, because it just felt like a perfect track for him".
Nys launched an early attack into the race, and on the final lap distanced Wyseure in the long steps section - featuring 99 of them. A sprint didn't come to be, but the Baloise rider appeared to be the best adapted to the track.
"Even the steps, the section in which I didn't know if he was going to do well or not... Well he proved to be the absolute best, and I think there wasn't even much of a doubt regarding that".
Quinn was not surprised to see the Belgian take his second European title, taking into consideration what he showed in the first half of the race. "Nys was clearly the strongest, clearly the most explosive..."
"He kind of sent a warning sign on the fourth lap when he made a big acceleration and kind of created that gap and forced Wyseure and [Kevin] Kuhn to come across".
Read also
In the absence of Mathieu van der Poel and Wout Van Aert, Nys has cemented himself as the main name over the opening weeks of the main cyclocross season - winning in similar fashion to his rivals.
"Without Mathieu van der Poel and Wout Van Aert at the races, he can definitely scoop up a few more. It's not that he's massively head and shoulders above everybody. But right now, he has that just extra level":
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- She deviated from her line - end of
leedorney10-11-2026 - If I was Lucinda Brand, I'd refuse to wear the jersey. Is there a rule that she "has to" wear it, as the winner? It would certainly feel like stolen valor.wrsty10-11-2026
- but don't let your socks be too long or handlebars be a cm too narrow.mij10-11-2026
- Saw a casual interview with Geraint Thomas and him a few years ago. Seems like a nice laid guy and I wish him well.GregT10-11-2026
- Ernesto Maggioni - The president of the commissaires Mafia. It is getting evident that this guy is basically "Iamalwaysrightandyouarestupidsoiwontlistentoyou" kind of guy. So fire him so that he can be always right in his homeabstractengineer10-11-2026
- Somehow it has got into his mind that he is a GC rider. He is primarily a classics and stage rider who can perform on GC given his day. As a result he is wasting his time on TDF GC and once committed to GC you are too tired to do anything else.abstractengineer10-11-2026
- 🐐❤️Lozza09-11-2026
- This is such a black eye to women's professional cyclocross if this result remains. Marie Schreiber won this race fairly. This finish is not unlike others in cyclocross. Lots of moving around to get to the finish not to cut anyone off , but to generate a sprint on soft wide tires caked with mud and sand. This is not nearly the same as a road race between two riders sprinting to the finish on faster bikes and thinner firmer tires. The powers in charge need to use some common sense, reverse this result and remember this is Cyclocross not Road racing. Unbelievable. . .Zencycle09-11-2026
- Tis beyond your comprehension fine sir so best not to look on with blind eyes to THE GOATS greatness.
Brucegel09-11-2026 - McNulty winning was beneficial in ensuring the rainbow jersey would not remain winless
Front24209-11-2026
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