With Van Empel, Pieterse & Alvarado absent, can Belgian champion take advantage and claim European title? "I’m ready, I’ve got good legs, and I’m full of confidence”
Cyclocross
The stage is set for a fascinating women’s elite Cyclocross European Championship this afternoon in Lombardsijde — and for once, the Dutch stranglehold on the event looks vulnerable. With champion riders Fem van Empel, Puck Pieterse and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado all missing from the start list, opportunity knocks for Belgian champion Marion Norbert Riberolle, who arrives brimming with confidence.
“I’m more nervous speaking Dutch than I am about the race”
“I’m ready,” Norbert Riberolle told Belgian media ahead of the weekend. “I’ve got good legs, I like the course, and I’m full of confidence.”
The 25-year-old, who was born in France but switched allegiance to Belgium in 2021, has been steadily building towards her best form. She was a podium regular in the recent World Cup rounds and believes the Lombardsijde course could suit her perfectly.
“I’ve got more stress speaking Dutch than I do for the European Championships,” she laughed. “That’s why any podium place on Saturday would already make me happy. I’m very proud to wear the Belgian champion’s jersey.”
Dutch dominance under threat?
Even without their leading trio, the Netherlands remain favourites to continue their run of success thanks to Lucinda Brand, who will carry the weight of expectation alone. Brand, the 2023 European silver medallist, has looked strong in recent weeks — but Belgium’s hopes rest firmly on Riberolle’s shoulders.
Belgian national coach Angelo De Clercq has named a five-rider line-up, with Julie Brouwers, Kiona Crabbe, Jinse Peeters and Laura Verdonschot joining Riberolle on the start line. Verdonschot, however, is still fighting her way back to fitness following surgery on two blocked pelvic arteries, so arrives with longer odds than would normally be expected.
Verdonschot in action
“It’s still not easy,” Verdonschot admitted. “I continue to experience quite a lot of pain during intense efforts. Ruddervoorde went well, but I’ve also had plenty of bad days. So I’m just hoping for a good one.”
With the Dutch weakened and home support behind them, Belgium’s women sense that a golden opportunity awaits. And if Norbert Riberolle can translate her calm confidence into a flawless ride, the European crown could, for once, be heading away from the Netherlands.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment