A clash of several national champions at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships was inevitable, but not like this.
Marion Norbert Riberolle, the Belgian champion, crashed on the slippery Hulst course with Kristyna Zemanová, the Czechia champion, late in the elite women’s race and Norbert Riberolle reacted by pushing her fellow competitor.
Norbert Riberolle was disqualified for aggressively touching another rider, and pulled from the race with one lap to go.
In an odd twist, a separate matter developed for the Belgian rider. Soon after the incident, she was seen lying on the side of the course holding her head while wearing her helmet, her bike on the ground near her feet.
The Belgian Cycling Team later said in a social post that the rider was experiencing physical discomfort and was taken to the hospital in Sint-Niklaas to be checked for head and neck pain.
Several media, including Sporza, reported that Norbert Riberolle suffered a “panic attack” during the race when she felt tightness in her chest.
The standing result was a disqualification for Norbert Riberolle. The 27-year-old finished 11th last year, but had yet to crack the top 10 as an elite rider in four tries. She won the U23 title in 2020.
Meanwhile, this was the first appearance in the elite Worlds division for 22-year-old Zemanová, who earned a silver medal last year in the U23 race. The Czechia rider had earned her first elite World Cup podium a week ago at Hoogerheide so was on form to compete for a medal.
That chance for a medal disappeared with the crash. She completed the six laps on Saturday and posted an 11th-place finish, 2:05 behind winner Lucinda Brand (Netherlands).
The two were in a group at the start of lap five, chasing the race leaders, Dutch teammates Brand and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, who held almost a 50-second advantage, when disaster struck.
Jolanda Neff (Switzerland), Amandine Fouquenet (France) and Puck Pieterse (Netherlands) had cleared a wide corner when Zemanová appeared to slide into Norbert Riberolle, and the two went down, Kata Blanka Vas (Hungary) making a safe pass.
As Zemanová stood up and went to pick up her bike in the middle of the straightaway, Norbert Riberolle turned away from her bike and went straight for her competitor, boldly using both arms to shove her.
The Czechia rider rode away only a few pedal strokes and was seen on the side of the course dealing with a mechanical issue with the chain. The Dutch champion had remounted and continued riding.
“That could be a costly moment,” one announcer from Eurosport said on the live stream. His analysis proved correct, as officials quickly issued the disqualification.
The Belgian rider was then seen sitting on the ground at the side of the course and looked upset, before being transported to the hospital for precautionary measures.