European Championship drama for Haverdings in winning position: Michels repeats as U23 champion, Gery beats Schreiber in women’s race

Célia Gery and Jente Michels claimed the European cyclo-cross championship titles in the U23 category. The French woman endured a relentless pace from Marie Schreiber throughout the race, ultimately taking gold in the sprint, while Schreiber had to settle for silver. In the men’s race, Michels won partly due to a bizarre stroke of bad luck for David Haverdings, who broke his chain in the final lap.

After two thrilling junior races, anticipation was high for the U23 women, many of whom also compete in the elite category. Unlike the earlier races, the peloton didn’t stay bunched up for long. Schreiber set a blistering pace for Luxembourg from the start, which only Gery (France) and Dutch talent Bentveld could follow in the first lap. Czech rider Kristyna Zemanová struggled to keep up.

Schreiber powered through the first two laps at full speed, preventing Zemanová from closing the gap. The main group of chasers was already over a minute behind. After three laps, the number four finally cracked, making it clear that the medal contenders were set—but in what order?

As the race neared the end, Schreiber’s pace began to take its toll. In lap four, Bentveld briefly dropped back but managed to rejoin the leaders at the line with two laps to go. However, she was on the edge, and in the penultimate lap, Bentveld dropped again while Gery held on by sheer grit. It was all hands on deck for the final lap, with Schreiber not relinquishing the lead for a second. Gery clung to her wheel, proving more explosive in the sprint. Bentveld finished in third place.

Eurosport Nederland

@Eurosport_NL

·Follow

🚴🇪🇸 | Marie Schreiber heeft de hele cross op kop gereden, behalve de laatste meters. Célia Gery is de Europees kampioen bij de beloften! 👏​👏​ #EuroCross24 📺 Stream de cross op HBO Max

Watch on Twitter

7

Reply

Copy link

Read more on Twitter

U23 Men put on a great battle at the European Cyclo-cross Championships

We hadn’t seen much of the Dutch jerseys up front yet, but in the U23 men’s race, TeamNL got off to a strong start with Haverdings. The young rider made a bold break from the start, creating significant gaps on the first pass by the finish line. Jente Michels (Belgium) and Italian Samuele Scappini kept Haverdings in sight, while the Dutch team stayed vigilant behind to respond to any attacks. Haverdings, noticing the situation, allowed Michels and Scappini to catch up. The Belgian titleholder then set the pace in the second lap.

However, the pace wasn’t high enough, allowing a group to rejoin at the front. When Scappini briefly had to put a foot down, a gap opened between Michels, Haverdings, and Dutch rider Danny van Lierop. It became two against one, with Van Lierop overplaying his hand a bit. His attack was neutralized by Michels, after which only Haverdings managed to match the Belgian’s pace increase. Surprisingly, with four laps to go, Filippo Agostinacchio—the older brother of newly crowned European champion Mattia—joined the leaders.

The trio seemed to have struck an important blow, with only the French chasing group trailing far behind. Agostinacchio boldly jumped over the barriers and often took the lead, which the others were fine with. But the longer they rode together, the question arose: just how strong is Agostinacchio? How would he fare in a sprint? Michels set the pace, with Haverdings daring to follow toward the final lap.

With Belgian Yordi Corsus and Frenchman Aubin Sparfel only ten seconds behind, the race heated up. Michels remained in the lead, but Haverdings moved forward in the closing moments. Agostinacchio aggressively got between them but was quickly put in check. Michels and Haverdings went shoulder-to-shoulder into the final corners until Haverdings hit his handlebars hard—chain broken! The delay gave Michels a gap, which he held to the finish. Agostinacchio took silver, Sparfel bronze. Haverdings, pushing his bike along, finished tenth.

Eurosport Nederland

@Eurosport_NL

·Follow

🚴🇪🇸 | WAT EEN SLOTRONDE! Materiaalproblemen voor Haverdings en Michels die er vandoor gaat. De winnaar en de verliezer van de dag bekend op hetzelfde moment 😭​😭​ #EuroCross24 📺 Stream de cross op HBO Max

Watch on Twitter

9

Reply

Copy link

Read more on Twitter

Results European Cyclo-cross Championships 2024 - U23 women

Results European Cyclo-cross championships 2024 - U23 men

Read also

The anti-Pogacar Tour de France route? Vingegaard, Visma | Lease a Bike and Van Aert get everything their hearts desire

France questions superhuman performance of Pogacar and Vingegaard: "They cycled in anonymity in the junior category"