Swiss and Italian gold at Junior European Cyclo-cross Championships; heavily criticized Cabaca just misses podium

What was the course like? Was it actually as easy as the elites claimed beforehand? Under a gentle Spanish sun, the junior women started at 9:00 AM local time. The Spanish riders did not miss the opportunity to perform well on home ground, with three of them in the top five during the first lap. However, it was the Czech rider Barbora Bukovská who increased the pace at the first lap past the finish line, leaving only a group of seven riders. The much-discussed Dutch rider Cabaca was in that group.

The challenge clearly came at the end of the lap, with a few explosive hills creating small gaps toward the finish. Swiss rider Grossmann and Bukovská took the initiative throughout, which gradually thinned out the group — briefly expanding halfway through the race — to a final four riders going into the last lap. Grossmann, Bukovská, Italian Giorgia Pellizotti (daughter of…) and Cabaca seemed poised to battle for victory until Cabaca crashed over the barriers.

Three riders remained in the race for the medals, without Dutch or Belgian participation… Cabaca, with obvious strength, managed to climb back to fourth place, but it was too late for a podium finish. Bukovská and Grossmann continued to push, while Pellizotti stayed close on their heels. All three riders gave it their all, but it was Grossmann who proved the strongest in the end, crossing the finish line solo and raising two fingers to the sky. Bukovská won the sprint for second place over Pellizotti.

A disappointed Cabaca finished fourth, not the result she had hoped for, especially after being in the spotlight ahead of the championships due to a serious dispute with her employer Deschacht-Hens-FSP. Both sides clashed over her contract situation, with harsh words coming from Belgium: "I really hope you fail at everything you do," they reportedly said.

In the junior men’s race, the peloton stayed together in the first few laps. After two laps of intense racing, it was the Belgians who made the first move, creating some gaps but still keeping eight riders together. Belgium had three riders in the lead group. The group of eight riders, led by the Belgians, gradually reduced to seven, then six, and finally five — a battle of endurance with Giel Lejeune and Arthur Van Den Boer joined by Italian Mattia Agostinacchio and Austrian Valentin Hoffer. With two laps to go!

On the long staircase section, Agostinacchio put pressure on the others heading into the final lap. The pace had dropped as other riders rejoined, so the Italian seized his chance. Belgium, with its numerical advantage, had to lead the chase with help from Hoffer and the Spanish riders. But the gap had already opened, and Agostinacchio pushed like a rocket, holding his ground impressively. Italy claimed a second gold medal, following Saturday's Mixed Team Relay.