Saturday’s world cyclocross championships in Hulst were one to forget for Belgian champion Marion Norbert Riberolle, whose podium hopes were derailed by a crash caused by Czech rival Kristýna Zemanová, Riberolle retaliating by angrily shoving Zemanová in the chest, resulting in her disqualification from the race.
And to add injury to insult, Riberolle continued to ride on despite being pulled from the race – only to crash hard at the bottom of a steep bank, as Lucinda Brand soloed clear to secure her second cyclocross rainbow jersey and put the icing on a dominant winter campaign for the multidisciplinary Dutch star.
Behind Brand – whose own path to victory was far from serene – Riberolle and Zemanová’s confrontation took place on the penultimate lap of the women’s elite race in Hulst, as a sizeable group battled for third place and a bronze medal.
After dropping down off a ramp, Zemanová attempted to pass the Belgian on the inside of a left-hand bend, before sliding out and taking Riberolle down with her and forcing her into the barriers.
😮 Ça chauffe sur la course féminine des Mondiaux de cyclo-cross ! Et pour ce geste d’humeur, la Belge Marion Norbert-Riberolle est disqualifiée #LesRP pic.twitter.com/2ijicJEda2
— Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) January 31, 2026
As the Czech rider quickly grabbed her bike to restart, Riberolle blocked her path to remonstrate with her, shoving her hard in the chest, the Belgian then returning to her own bike, angrily shaking her head.
Commentating for TNT Sports, five-time British cyclocross champion Ian Field said: “You can see why Riberolle is frustrated, but you shouldn’t really go around pushing riders.”
The race commissaires swiftly moved to disqualify Riberolle from the race, though it is unclear how swiftly the decision was communicated to her or her team. The 27-year-old, who has three wins to her name this season, entered the pits soon after the incident, but instead of stopping grabbed a fresh bike and continued riding.
Marion Norbert Riberolle shoves Kristýna Zemanová during 2026 cyclocross world championships, then crashes after being disqualified (credit: TNT Sports)
In any case, her race soon ended in dramatic circumstances, Riberolle crashing hard at the bottom of a steep muddy bank, the Belgian looking in some pain as she sat on the ground, holding her ribs and clearly distraught – perhaps for more reasons than one.
Meanwhile, Zemanová’s own podium hopes were derailed by the crash, the Czech rider ultimately crossing the line in 11th.
Lucinda Brand wins 2026 world cyclocross championships as Ceylin Alvarado and Puck Pieterse round off podium, Hulst (credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)
As tempers flared behind, Lucinda Brand kept her cool amid the chaos to secure the second cyclocross rainbow jersey of her career, as Ceylin Alvarado and the unfortunate Puck Pieterse rounded off a Dutch clean sweep of the podium in front of a delighted home crowd.
That orange-clad trio dominated from the start, pulling away from the field in the first lap as the in-form Pieterse piled on the pressure.
Despite being the dominant ‘cross rider of the winter, with a staggering 19 wins from 24 starts, Brand’s build-up to the worlds in Hulst was patchy, punctuated by concussion suffered in a crash in Zonhoven and a recent calf injury.
Lucinda Brand wins 2026 world cyclocross championships as Ceylin Alvarado and Puck Pieterse round off podium, Hulst (credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)
The 36-year-old was content, then, to bide her time early in the race, before striking around the midway mark. As Brand forced the pace, the dynamic of the race was irrevocably altered as Pieterse suffered a heavy, high-speed crash.
The Fenix-Premier Tech rider, jersey muddied, then dropped back to the chasers, before rallying to secure bronze.
Meanwhile, Brand was forced to overcome her own crash, the multidisciplinary star flying over the handlebars, and briefly letting Alvarado back in. But Brand wasn’t to be denied, the 36-year-old digging deep to surge clear once again, ultimately sealing the win – and her second rainbow jersey – by 27 seconds over Alvarado.
Zoe Bäckstedt, 2026 world cyclocross championships (credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)
Britain’s double U23 world ‘cross champion Zoe Bäckstedt, racing her first elite cyclocross worlds, finished, just 14 seconds behind bronze medallist Pieterse, following a courageous, battling ride.