Marie Schreiber (Team SD Worx-Protime) glided through the slippery mud at Parkcross a mid-week C2 contest in Maldegem and won the penultimate round of the Exact Cross series.
Crelan-Corendon teammates Inge van der Heijden and Sara Casasola rounded out the podium, the Dutch rider 16 seconds back and the Italian another five seconds later.
The drama of the race unfolded well behind the podium finishers when Belgian Jinse Peeters (De Ceuster-Bouwpunt) and Dutchwoman Manon Bakker (Crelan-Corendon) were disqualified after bumping in a corner and hitting each other.
On the fifth of the seven laps, Peeters held the inside position as three riders approached a 90-degree left-hand corner. Bakker moved beside Peeters to make a pass, and the Belgian used her right arm to push Bakker away from close proximity.
The shove caused the Dutch rider to unclip to keep from crashing, with Bakker then slapping Peeters on the shoulder while she tried to regain control, but lost position in the small group.
Meanwhile, the 21-year-old Schreiber celebrated her sixth elite cyclocross victory for the season, including a third Luxembourg national championship in January. In Liévin at the World Championships last weekend she landed on the podium for the first time, earning the silver medal in the U23 division.
"I felt the strongest, it’s nice to finish the season with a victory," said Schreiber, who will now take time off before transitioning in April to the road for SD Worx-Protime.
"The two riders from Corelan-Corendon tried to play the team game to beat me. It was important to stay calm in such a tactical situation. They took turns attacking. But I was not on the limit in their wheel.
"On the penultimate lap, I placed my acceleration and went full out. This was my last race of the season. So I planned to ride myself completely empty and keep going until the finish."
Results
Results powered by FirstCycling
-
US Cyclocross Nationals: Eric Brunner goes solo to secure third elite men's title
In a battle between collegiate racers, Ivan Sippy takes second and Brody McDonald third in final race of event -
US Cyclocross Nationals: Pan American cyclocross champion Lizzy Gunsalus holds off Katherine Sarkisov to win elite women's title
U23 Sarkisov sisters chose to race elites, with both ending up on the podium as Alyssa Sarkisov takes third -
US Cyclocross Nationals: Ethan Brown races to solo win, secures men’s junior 17–18
Matthew Crabbe takes silver as Noah Scholnick fades to third place -
'It was certainly not the easiest course to open my winter' - Mathieu van der Poel overcomes early crash on cyclocross return
Seven-time world champion blames lack of preparation for technical mistakes
