It was young Thibau Nys (born in 2002) who won the 2024 Elite Cyclo-Cross European Championships in Pontevedra (Spain).
The Belgian rider took the lead in the final stages of the race and brought to life an exciting head-to-head with Spaniard Felipe Orts, in a hard-fought and spectacular race in front of the 9,000 spectators who packed the circuit in the Galician city.
Before the start of the main race in the Championships programme, a minute's silence was observed in memory, solidarity and sympathy for the victims and those affected by the floods in Valencia.
Immediately after the start, it was the Belgian riders who set the pace until halfway through the race, when Orts created a selection that only Nys resisted after several attacks. On the final lap, the Spaniard was unable to keep up with the pace set by Nys and finished in second place. The podium was completed by another Belgian, Eli Iserbyt, who finished 9 seconds behind.
The podium was entirely Dutch in the Women's Elite category, with victory going to reigning world champion Fem van Empel. The 2023 European champion sprinted ahead of her compatriots Ceylin Del Carmen Alvardo, already second in 2023 just behind Van Empel, and Lucinda Brand, with whom she had taken the lead halfway through the race.
A year after his success in Pont-Château, Belgium's Jente Michiels won again in the U23 category after a thrilling head-to-head battle with Italy's Filippo Agostinacchio, who came second, and Dutchman Haverdings, who suffered a mechanical accident a few hundred metres from the finish, leaving the third step of the podium to Frenchman Aubin Sparfel.
In the Women's U23 category, victory went to France's Célia Gery who, after winning the world and European Junior titles last year, confirmed her position as leader in the top category. The Frenchwoman won after a very close sprint in which she beat the other favourites in the race: Marie Schreiber (Luxembourg) and Leonie Bentveld (Netherlands).
Italian victory in the Junior men's race with Mattia Agostinacchio who won solo after attacking just before the start of the last lap of the fast Pontevedra circuit. Behind Agostinacchio, the podium was completed by Austrian Valentin Hofer, second at 8‘, and Mats Vanden Eynden (Belgium), who crossed the finish line at 10’.
The day in Pontevedra began with the Junior women's race, won with authority by Switzerland's Anja Grossman who, after a particularly hard-fought race, beat Czech Republic's Barbora Bukovska and Italy's Giorgia Pellizotti in the Sprint. In Pontevedra on Saturday, the European Team Relay title was also awarded, with Italy winning with Mattia and Filippo Agostinacchio, Federico Ceolin, Giorgia Pellizotti, Lucia Bramati and Francesca Baroni. Second place went to defending champions France (Aubin Sparfel, Remi Lelandais, Theophile Vassal, Celia Gery, Lise Revol and Helene Clauzel), while third place went to the home team, Spain, with Felipe Orts, Miguel Rodríguez, Benjamín Noval, Lorena Patiño, Aroa Otero and Sofía Rodríguez.
The next Cyclo-cross European Championships will be held in Middelkerke (Belgium) from 7 to 9 November 2025.
