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Rochette 5th at world cyclocross championships, Cant takes first title

Four medals, Junior men's podium sweep for Brits

January 28, 2017
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The first day of the UCI World Cyclocross Championships in Biele, Luxembourg, concluded with a engrossing, thrilling elite women’s race, as Sanne Cant beat seven-time world champion Marianne Vos (The Netherlands) to take Belgium’s first women’s world title. In one of the most amazing performances of the day, Canada’s Maghalie Rochette rode out of her skin on a very difficult course to earn fifth place.

In the earlier races Great Britain swept the junior men’s podium with a fine gold win for Thomas Pidcock, who had placed third in this year’s World Cup junior rankings. The junior men were the first to race in the very slick conditions. Top Canadian Gunnar Holmgren was 22nd, while Brody Sanderson came 25th and Noah Simms placed 46th.


In the Under-23 women’s race, first reigning champion Evie Richards (Britain) had the early lead before American Ellen Noble took over, with Anniemarie Worst (The Netherlands), third in the Hoogerheide World Cup round, lurking behind. Worst powered to the front and a couple of mistakes from Noble opened a gap that would widen. Noble, sixth overall in the women’s World Cup this year, took silver and Richards earned another trip to the podium.

Canada’s sole entrant, Rudy West, came 26th.

In the Crosshairs noted the crucial ‘cross quality.

The elite women were all bundled up before the start.


Ellen van Loy (Belgium) led onto the dirt. Vos fought through from the second row. Caroline Mani (France) and Katie Compton (USA) were part of a crash that created a gap right away.

Sanne Cant joined Vos and van Loy near the front on Lap 1 and the field compacted. The final third was clearly the hardest part of the course. Eva Lechner (Italy) led a group of nine including Rochette over the line.


On Lap 2 Vos and Lechner held a little gap on Lucinda Brand (The Netherlands) and Cant. Vos powered away on the flat part of the course. Cant was closest at the end of the lap, four seconds back. Lechner was losing ground. Rochette was now fifth.


Lap 3 saw Cant make the junction and Brand caught up too. Behind the leading trio were teammates Lechner, Katerina Nash (Czech Republic) and Rochette. Then Nash bridged across, and at the finish line Rochette was only 7-seconds in arrears.

Two laps remained. Vos and Cant once more separated themselves. Brand dropped behind Nash, who stumbled at the barriers. Cant crashed, breaking her shoe, and then Vos pried open a huge gap on a little climb. Going into the bell lap it was Vos leading with Cant seven-seconds back and Nash further in arrears.

To great dramatic effect, Vos dropped her chain and Cant came around her. Then Nash made it a threesome a third of the way through the final lap, but the Czech couldn’t hold Vos and Cant. The gold would go to the Belgian or the Dutchwoman.

Cant slowed up on the final corner and then led out the sprint to take the famous win. Behind, Nash and Brand also sprinted for the bronze with podium standard Nash prevailing. An ecstatic Rochette had time to high five the crowd.


Cant’s tears of joy past the line were moving. “It’s the most beautiful day of my life,” she said. The 2015-2016 World Cup champion earned a gritty rainbow jersey after disappointment last year on home turf.

Mical Dyck was 20th and Cindy Montambault 24th.

2017 UCI Cyclocross World Championships Elite Women
Gold) Sanne Cant (Belgium) 43:06
Silver) Marianne Vos (The Netherlands) +0:01
Bronze) Katerina Nash (Czech Republic) +0:21
5) Maghalie Rochette (Canada) +0:36
20) Mical Dyck (Canada) +4:27
24) Cindy Montambault (Canada) +6:06

2017 UCI Cyclocross World Championships Junior Men
Gold) Thomas Pidcock (Great Britain) 41:24
Silver) Daniel Tulett (Great Britain) +0:38
Bronze) Ben Turner (Great Britain) +0:44
22) Gunnar Holmgren (Canada) +4:15
25) Brody Sanderson (Canada) +4:47
46) Noah Simms (Canada) +7:11

2017 UCI Cyclocross World Championships U23 Women
Gold) Annemarie Worst (The Netherlands) 43:47
Silver) Ellen Noble (USA) +0:10
Bronze) Evie Richards (Great Britain) +0:26
26) Ruby West (Canada) +6:03