Current cyclo-cross world champion Hanka Kupfernagel added another title to her palmares when she was crowned women's European champion in Lievin, France, last Sunday. Pitted against the likes of Czech rider Katerina Nash and in-form French rider Maryline Salvetat, Kupfernagel took a comfortable three-second win to cement her place at the top of the tree in women's cyclo-cross.
In the espoirs championship race, Germany's Philip Walsleben took the win by almost a minute ahead of local rider Aurélien Duval and Belgium's Kenneth Van Compernolle. It was a dominant performance from Germany's best U23 rider and added another to the country's tally for the day. With current world cup protagonist Niels Albert and world champion Lars Boom former winners of the espoirs category at these championships, those who take the U23 crown are riders to watch in the future.
It was a slightly closer affair in the junior men's race, with Dutch duo Tijmen Eising and Lars Van Der Haar battling it out for the win ahead of Belgian rider Sean De Bie. Eising held on to win by 11 seconds as orange jerseys filled the top two steps of the podium.
