Sanne Cant crossed the end line in fourth place within the X2O Badkamers Trophy spherical in Lille, marking the top of an extended and profitable season in cyclocross.
Her Crelan crew had a shock for the 34-year-old – publishing a music video honouring her profession which contained messages from a number of riders together with Mathieu van der Poel, Marianne Vos, Puck Pieterse and new Belgian champion and teammate Marion Norbert Riberolle.
Cant claimed 127 victories throughout her elite cyclocross profession, taking the primary of 15 Belgian National Championship titles in 2010 and successful the race yearly till this January, when Riberolle took over the jersey.
She received her first of 11 World Cups in 2014 and three World titles in a row from 2017 to 2019. But extra importantly, Cant used her place as the highest lady within the sport to push for adjustments. During her profession, the ladies’s races went from being held within the morning earlier than the under-23 males to being held in prime time simply earlier than the elite males.
The girls’s races additionally earned a primary time slot on the World Championships, their races grew to become longer and extra aggressive and extra prize cash got here together with the improved status.
Like most cyclocross racers, Cant additionally competed on the highway, most not too long ago with Fenix-Deceuninck. She suffered an almost career-ending damage throughout Paris-Roubaix in 2023 that left her with 60 stitches in her face, some inside millimetres of her eye.
Teammate Laurens Sweeck praised Cant as an inspiration for younger riders, Puck Pieterse mentioned “Thanks for all the gorgeous moments on and off the bike” and Riberolle added, “I’m going to do my finest with this jersey that you simply wore for 15 years.”
The newest race content material, interviews, options, evaluations and skilled shopping for guides, direct to your inbox!
The stars of the video had been two of the best riders of all time, and positively the highest cyclocross racers within the sport’s historical past, Marianne Vos and Mathieu van der Poel.
“Congratulations in your spectacular profession,” Van der Poel mentioned. “It is one thing to look again on with plenty of delight and I hope you are going to get pleasure from life off the bike to the fullest.”
Vos made her contribution to the video whereas out coaching, saying “Congratulations in your incredible profession. It will probably be unusual with out you within the subject after so a few years main the game. Enjoy your biking retirement and all one of the best for what lies forward.”
