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 slapping her fellow competitor.
Norbert Riberolle was disqualified for aggressively touching another rider, and pulled from the race with one lap to go.
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 completed the six laps on Saturday and posted an 11th-place finish, 2:05 behind winner Lucinda Brand (Netherlands).
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.
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