Norbert-Riberolle dedicates victory to her sick grandmother, Sweeck finally wins again: "It’s been a while"

The Exact Cross in Essen produced two worthy winners. In the women’s race, Marion Norbert-Riberolle took victory for the second year in a row, while Laurens Sweeck claimed the men’s title, after not winning any cyclocross races last winter.

It was clear on camera how much the victory meant to Norbert-Riberolle. The Belgian emotionally explained how important the win was for her. "The last few days haven’t been easy because my grandmother is in the hospital. I told her yesterday that I would win for her, so this victory is for her. I’m super happy. Last year, my first win didn’t come until December, but now I’ve already won early in the season, which is also great for the team." With excellent teamwork from her Crelan-Corendon teammates, she managed to break away and cross the line solo in Essen.

Sweeck’s last win was in February 2023, so after more than a year and a half without a victory, the 31-year-old Belgian finally claimed one. "It’s been a while for me," he said in the interview. "I didn’t expect to win right away here because the others already have races in their legs. I couldn’t have asked for a better start." For a long time, it looked like Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Deceuninck, ed.) would take the win, but he made a costly mistake. "I think I got a bit lucky. Niels hesitated in the last corner. I wouldn’t have been able to catch him otherwise—he’s faster," said the Crelan-Corendon rider.

Sweeck won thanks to perfect positioning

Sweeck took control in the final lap, keeping everyone behind him. "I just tried to stay in a good position the whole time. I was nervous during the longer stretches early in the race where the wind played a factor. But I think I managed to keep myself in a good position throughout the race." The 2015 U23 world champion will race tomorrow in the Superprestige event in Ruddervoorde.