Marion Norbert Riberolle wins Azencross in Loenhout after mistakes by teammate Sanne Cant

The Dutch guns were not present in Loenhout. No Lucinda Brand, no Fem van Empel, no Ceylin Alvarado and no Puck Pieterse. Sanne Cant was given an excellent opportunity to win the Azencross, just like last year. Other contenders were Marion Norbert-Riberolle and Julie Brouwers.

It was the Dutch Lauren Molengraaf who got off to the best start. Sanne Cant didn’t start too well, entering the field in about tenth position, but quickly closed the gap. Marion Norbert-Riberolle missed her start completely and quickly found herself 17 seconds behind. At the front we had a duo with Cant and Molengraaf. The rest didn’t follow much further. It seemed that the Belgian champion was still holding back a bit.

Painful fall Cant

Anna Kay and Larissa Hartog crossed over to the leading duo and so we had a quartet at the front. Norbert-Riberolle had already halved her deficit. De Beer and Brouwers had also come to join, but Cant had driven away in the meantime with Anna Kay. Cant started to apply heavy pressure and she had to pay a price for that. She had a painful fall in the mud, but she was able to continue quickly. The damage seemed to be minor.

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Anna Kay took the lead on her own for a moment, but the pursuers, with Cant in the lead, drove towards it again. There was again a large leading group including Norbert-Riberolle. Cant needed half a lap to recover from her fall. Afterwards she ran off again. Her teammate Norbert-Riberolle gave chase and was able to connect.

Unleashed Norbert-Riberolle

The leading duo had a lead of 17 seconds after three of five laps. It was between the two teammates. The battle for third place was fought by six women. Sanne Cant made another mistake on the penultimate lap and saw Norbert-Riberolle pull away. Cant needed some serious catching up, but her teammate seemed unleashed. At the start of the last lap there was a difference of eight seconds. Cant could no longer overcome that. The battle for third place was won by 18-year-old British Imogen Wolff.