Luxembourg Files Official Complaint to Overturn Marie Schreiber’s European Cyclo-cross Relegation

Alex Carter – Sport Editor

Luxembourg Federation Files Official Complaint Over Marie Schreiber Relegation

It’s disrespectful to steal the biggest moment of my career, Marie Schreiber said after race officials stripped her of the European cyclo-cross title. Cyclingnews reported that Luxembourg’s cycling federation formally lodged an official complaint on November 8, seeking to overturn the controversial jury decision.

Schreiber crossed the finish line first in the elite women’s race at the European Cyclo-cross Championships in Zeddam. Veloracycling.com noted that the two-up sprint at the end of the 50-minute race saw Schreiber move slightly to the left as the Netherlands’ Lucinda Brand attempted to pass between her and the barriers.

The three leaders started the final lap together, and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Fenix-Premier Tech) then crashed in a right-hand bend. Schreiber opened the sprint on the long finishing straight. The UCI commissaires penalize this type of movement as an irregular sprint under competition regulations. Schreiber crossed the line first and was announced as the winner before the relegation was applied.

Schreiber skipped the podium on the instruction of her coach, Sanne Cant. Cant described the encounter as one of the most ridiculous in her time with the sport. Brand received the European champion’s jersey while Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado took the bronze medal.

Brand stated she had not lodged an objection herself and believed she had been beaten on merit. Sven Nys, manager of Brand’s Baloise-Het Poetsbureau Lions team, questioned the severity of the punishment, asking whether moving slightly off a line genuinely warranted relegation to second place in a championship.

The Luxembourg Cycle Sport Federation (FSCL) wants the race standings determined by the order riders crossed the finish line. However, UCI rules state that race-incident sanctions like irregular sprints are not subject to appeal, leaving it unclear how the federation hopes to secure a reversal.

The Regulatory Hurdles Facing the Appeal

That responsibility falls to the UCI. The Disciplinary Commission may, at its own initiative or upon request, decide to suspend the implementation of a decision by the Commissaires’ Panel, state the UCI regulations. The Disciplinary Commission can step in in case the facts were not observed by the Commissaires’ Panel or in case all relevant facts for the assessment of the infringement were not available at the time the Commissaires’ Panel disbanded.

A disciplinary review can open for certain race incidents if the commissaires did not observe the facts and the jury reviewed the footage, or if relevant facts were not available before the panel disbanded and the jury heard both riders.

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