Disqualified Schreiber refuses to attend European Championship podium: 'Disrespectful to take away the biggest moment of my career'

Sanne Cant, Schreiber’s support person at SD Worx-Protime, had already completed her interviews, and Lucinda Brand’s heartfelt hug for the Luxembourg rider took place right after the finish. No one—and I mean absolutely no one— seemed to doubt the outcome of the European Cyclocross Championships in Zeddam.

Until... both Schreiber and Brand were called over to the judges' car, where they were briefed on the situation. Half an hour later, Schreiber still couldn't get over it. "They always want everything to be clean and fair, and then they do this. This isn't fair either."

So what happened in that car at the finish line? “We reviewed the footage and heard both my and Lucinda’s perspectives… and Lucinda said I hadn’t done anything wrong, because she wouldn’t have been able to pass me anyway. I’m very grateful that she said that, but it doesn’t change the commissioners’ decision.”

"I said, 'Yes, it's a sprint after fifteen minutes of racing at full speed, and you finish with a heart rate of 190.' "Yeah, I changed gears and moved a little to the left. Anyway, I think if everyone watches the sprint, you can see that that’s normal..."

"I didn't deliberately slam the door or anything like that. Lucinda knows that; she says so herself. It's disrespectful to just take away the biggest moment of my career like that," said an angry Schreiber. "I'll say it again: it's disrespectful."

Schreiber then decided to skip the stage. “I wanted to go because I thought everyone would hate me if I didn’t. But then I thought: they’re treating me like this, so why should I? It’s hard enough just to be standing here right now, so you can imagine how much harder it is to be on stage. That fine? I can live with that; getting sleep tonight is going to be more of a problem.”