Célia Gery was the best in the European cyclo-cross championship among the women’s promises on Sunday in Pontevedra, Spain. The Frenchwoman won after a sprint with two from Luxembourg’s Marie Schreiber. Four seconds later, the Dutch Leonie Bentveld took the bronze medal. Fleur Moors finished fifth after the Czech Kristyna Zemanova, Nette Coppens had to settle for twelfth place after a European Championship full of bad luck.
It was Schreiber who took the holeshot. Gery followed in second with the Dutch tandem Bentveld/Puck Langenbarg behind her. Moors finished seventh. Nette Coppens was caught in the fence after the start and immediately had to chase after she was able to restart as the very last of the pack.
Halfway through the first lap, a leading group formed with Schreiber, Gery, Bentveld and Zemanova. Moors followed in fifth at 10 seconds. Zemanova was hanging from the stretcher at the front, while Coppens fell again while doing a nice recovery. Half cross, Schreiber, Gery and Bentveld rode 21 seconds ahead of Zemanova. The Slovakian Viktoria Chladonova followed with Moors in a battle for fifth place at 45 seconds. Meanwhile, Nette Coppens was ninth at 1:50 of the leading trio.
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Nette Coppens fell early. — © BELGIUM
Gery the fastest in the sprint, Moors satisfied with fifth place
Schreiber and Gery managed to get rid of Bentveld just before the final round. The podium was secured because Zemonova was already 55 seconds behind, while Fleur Moors was 1:20 behind when the bell sounded. Bentveld fought back to the top of the race. For a while anyway, because when Schreiber and Gery prepared for the final they had to give in a few meters again. Gery then sprinted faster than the Luxembourgish woman and succeeds the British Zoe Bäckstedt as European champion among the women’s promises in cyclo-cross.
Fleur Moors finished fifth, but hoped for more. “The leading group was just gone very quickly. That was immediately a crucial point, because closing the gap on such difficult courses is extremely difficult. I also have to admit that I didn’t have the legs for it today. But I am satisfied with that fifth place,” he said.
Nette Coppens crashed early and saw all her podium chances melt away like snow in the sun. “In the second lap I made another slide and then it was very difficult to get back to the leading group. But it’s in me to keep fighting and riding for what I’m worth. That’s how I achieved twelfth place. Oh well, I’m very happy to be here,” she says with her head held high.
© BELGIUM
