Lentel Huys gives Belgium a first European youth title for women in Zeddam, Brand wins only after a jury ruling
On the first day of the championships Belgium took gold among the juniors and silver and bronze in the under-23 race, with the elite men racing today at 3 pm.
Sixteen-year-old Lentel Huys became European junior cyclocross champion on Saturday in Zeddam in the Netherlands. According to Sporza, she is the first Belgian woman to win youth gold at a European or world championship. Huys, a first-year junior, made the difference on the 99-step staircase and held her lead to the finish. Wielernieuws recorded Swiss rider Shana Huber second at 9 seconds, with Dutch rider Nynke Jochems third.
In the men's under-23 race, four riders stayed together at the front after a few laps: France's Aubin Sparfel, Belgians Giel Lejeune and Viktor Vandenberghe, and Italy's Filippo Grigolini. On the slightly rising finishing straight Sparfel was fastest, Sporza reports. Lejeune took silver in the same time and Vandenberghe bronze. Mats Vanden Eynde finished sixth, Yordi Corsus eighth and Arthur Van den Boer ninth.
The elite women's race ended in controversy. Luxembourg's Marie Schreiber crossed the line first, but after more than a quarter of an hour of deliberation the jury ruled that she had left her line in the sprint and impeded Lucinda Brand. Brand was awarded the title, Schreiber was placed second and Ceylin Alvarado third, Sporza and ProCyclingUK report. Julie Brouwers was the best Belgian in seventeenth, according to Sporza.
On Sunday the junior men start at 11 am, the under-23 women at 1 pm and the elite men at 3 pm, according to the organisers' schedule.