Results European Championships 2026 elite women and U23 men - Major drama as Marie Schreiber RELEGATED after dramatic sprint as Lucinda Brand crowned European champion
Cyclocross
The Cyclocross European Championships elite women's race served up a dramatic final sprint as it appeared Marie Schreiber beat Lucinda Brand in a run to the line. However, shortly after the finish it has been reported that the Luxembourg rider had been relegated to second place for a sprint deviation - meaning Brand is the new European champion.
Schreiber looked to have become the first non-Dutch rider to win the race since 2017. However, Brand has now been confirmed as the winner after an entertaining battle between the two. Beforehand, France's Aubin Sparfel took the men's under-23 title in Zeddam.
World champion Lucinda Brand, Fem van Empel, defending champion Inge van der Heidijn, Aniek van Alphen and Celyin del Carmen Alvarado headlined a remarkably strong Netherlands team expected to command the direction of the race.
The opening two laps threw out an interesting race dynamic from the off as a non Dutch rider in Luxembourg's Marie Schreiber looked to upset the odds and surged to a healthy lead at the front, forcing the Netherlands' hand as Alvarado and Brand broke off in chase.
They found themselves 14 seconds adrift at the end of two laps as it appeared Brand was being relied upon to lead the chase. Behind, the Netherlands also dominated the main group behind.
Again the duo in chase seemed to struggle with cooperation as Brand attacked over the finish line into the fourth lap. However, Brand suffered a small crash in a corner as she lost ground as Alvarado made it across to Schreiber. With the Dutchwoman finally reaching the front, she went to work and drove a hard pace - despite Brand just around seven seconds behind the duo and the rest of the chase group over 40 seconds down.
Lucinda Brand
Brand joins Alvarado and Schreiber at the front
Into lap five, medals began to become the focus as it appeared the duo, and now, Brand just a second behind were enjoying such a gap that they could well end up on the podium.
In the penultimate lap, Brand began to race on her own terms as she took to the front. Despite being brought back Schreiber surged into corners and the key stepped section to keep pace with Brand while Alvarado battled hard to stay in touch.
Heading into the final lap, the trio took the bell as the gold medal came into full view. Both Brand and Alvarado held the advantage as former European and world champions as Schreiber chases her first major championships crown at elite level.
Early in the lap, Schreiber squeezed ahead of both riders up the pivotal 99 steps to surge ahead and put the pair under pressure on terrain that suited her. But Brand and Alvarado rallied to keep in touch.
Alvarado crashed in a wooded section as her chances for gold faded while Schreiber drove the pace with Brand in her wheel into the final sections of the race. The Luxembourgish rider hit the sand pit first as she took the final corner ahead with the world champion in her wheel for a final sprint.
She led out the sprint and opened up first down the centre with Brand in the slipstream - winning the sprint by a mere inches in a sensational finale. Not initially clear in the finish, Schreiber just edged out the world champion. Alvarado held on for third place, sporting an apparent injury to her hand and wrist.
However, shortly after, a review of the sprint saw Schreiber apparently deemed to have deviated in the line. The overhead shot showed the Luxembourgish rider move slightly to her left and in the way of Brand, who was sprinting on the barrier side.
In the U23 men's race, France's Aubin Sparfel was the big favourite after his perfect start to the season, with Belgian Giel Lejeune impressing in the early season and compatriot Viktor Vandenberghe in contention.
Sparfel takes gold medal
In a tense race, the Belgian pair fought well to hold the Decathlon rider's wheel throughout the course. Italian riders Filippo Grigolini and Stefano Viezzi also battled well but just missed out on the podium place.
At the end of seven laps, it came down to a sprint to the line on the long and slightly uphill final straight. However, Sparfel couldn't be denied a fourth victory in a row as he maintained his perfect start to the season - winning the U23 European champion's jersey ahead of Lejeune and Vandenburghe in second and third respectively.
Earlier in the day, the first medals of the day were won as Belgian rider Lentel Huys was crowned junior women's champion at the age of just 16 - winning by nine seconds over Swiss rider Shana Huber.
Speaking after the race, she said: “I won’t really realize it until the evening. Beforehand, I was hoping for a medal, but a jersey makes it just a touch more special. I still have a long way to go and a learning process ahead of me, but I still have plenty of time."
Read also
Results European Championships 2026 elite women
| Placing | Rider | Nation | Time |
| 1 | BRAND Lucinda | Netherlands | 51:37:00 |
| 2 | SCHREIBER Marie | Luxembourg | ,, |
| 3 | ALVARADO Ceylin del Carmen | Netherlands | 0:17 |
| 4 | VAN DER HEIJDEN Inge | Netherlands | 0:57 |
| 5 | BETSEMA Denise | Netherlands | 1:00:00 |
| 6 | BAKKER Manon | Netherlands | 1:02 |
| 7 | ZEMANOVÁ Kristýna | Czech Republic | 1:16 |
| 8 | CLAUZEL Hélène | France | 1:20 |
| 9 | VAN ALPHEN Aniek | Netherlands | ,, |
| 10 | BRAMATI Lucia | Italy | ,, |
Results European Championships 2026 U23 men
| Placing | Rider | Nation | Time |
| 1 | SPARFEL Aubin | France | 46:58:00 |
| 2 | LEJEUNE Giel | Belgium | ,, |
| 3 | VANDENBERGHE Viktor | Belgium | ,, |
| 4 | GRIGOLINI Filippo | Italy | ,, |
| 5 | VIEZZI Stefano | Italy | 0:05 |
| 6 | VANDEN EYNDE Mats | Belgium | 0:20 |
| 7 | BAŽANT Kryštof | Czech Republic | ,, |
| 8 | CORSUS Yordi | Belgium | 0:22 |
| 9 | VAN DEN BOER Arthur | Belgium | 0:45 |
| 10 | HAVERDINGS Floris | Netherlands | 0:57 |
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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