Marie Schreiber lost a European cyclo-cross title in Zeddam after a jury intervention that shocked riders and officials alike, Redactie24 reported.
The Luxembourg rider crossed the finish line first in the elite women’s race on Saturday, beating Lucinda Brand in a two-rider sprint, according to In de Leiderstrui. But race commissaires intervened after Schreiber drifted slightly to the left during the sprint, stripping her of the gold medal and handing the victory to Brand.
Neither Brand nor her team manager, Sven Nys, nor Dutch national coach Gerben de Knegt lodged any complaint about the finish. The disqualification came entirely from the officials, leaving the sports world grappling with an unexpected penalty.
Sanne Cant, Schreiber’s cyclo-cross coach at SD Worx, voiced extreme fury over the decision and pointed the finger directly at cycling’s governing body, Redactie24 reported.
“It is the most ridiculous reaction I have ever heard,” Cant told Sporza. “I have sat on a bike for a very long time, and I have never experienced anything like this.”
Cant argued that sprinting adjustments happen regularly in road racing without drawing penalties.
“Maybe he should try to sprint on a cross bike with one bar himself,” Cant told Sporza. “It will never be straight. I think the track was wide enough to pass.”
The penalty triggered a fierce backlash from the SD Worx camp. On Cant’s advice, Schreiber refused to attend the post-race podium ceremony to collect her silver medal.
“That is not because there is no respect for Lucinda, but because you should not accept a medal that does not belong to you,” Cant told Redactie24. “Marie was the winner of the race. Lucinda admitted that to her.”
Schreiber recounted the tense moments inside the jury truck when the ruling was handed down. She said that Brand defended her victory during the discussions with officials.
“Lucinda has then still said: ‘It should not have gone this way, we tried to do everything fair and square,'” Schreiber told RTL. “Two of them thought differently, but Lucinda also said: ‘Marie has won fair and square, what is this about?’ The chief of the commissaires remained quite cold and actually made the final decision right away.”
Schreiber now faces potential disciplinary action and a fine from the Union Cycliste Internationale for skipping the medal ceremony. Cant said that she welcomes the financial penalty.
“I will gladly pay that,” Cant told Redactie24. “I will even double it, as long as the UCI can just grab money, right?”
When asked if a suspension could follow for the defiant stance, Cant remained unyielding. “That can happen, but we are not going to leave it at this,” she told Sporza.
Schreiber expressed doubt that the governing body would reverse its verdict given the lack of transparency from the officials. “I naturally hope that we can still do something against it, but given the poor transparency of the commissaires and the way this has been handled, I do not expect that they will retrace their steps,” Schreiber told RTL.
Earlier coverage: Marie Schreiber Disqualified From Cyclocross Victory in Zeddam
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