Belgian cyclocross champion Marion Norbert Riberolle has undergone a medical procedure after tests revealed a heart-rhythm disorder, her Crelan-Corendon team confirmed on Friday 23 October. The 27-year-old was examined following marked losses of performance towards the end of races in Dendermonde and Ardooie earlier this month.
The team says the procedure was carried out to address the problem and that the examinations found no additional abnormalities. Norbert Riberolle is expected to rest for several days before gradually resuming training under medical supervision. No date has been set for her return to racing.
Late-race difficulties at Dendermonde and Ardooie
The warning signs emerged during the Mosselcross in Dendermonde on 11 October. Norbert Riberolle had been competitive in the early part of the race but faded and eventually abandoned. Four days later, at the Kermiscross in Ardooie, she remained in contention for a podium position well into the final lap before suddenly losing ground and finishing eighth.
Those two performances prompted Crelan-Corendon to arrange a series of medical examinations. The team said in its announcement that the investigations had identified a disturbance of her heart rhythm and that she had since undergone a procedure intended to resolve it.
The squad did not disclose the precise diagnosis or nature of the procedure. Its statement that no further abnormalities were found is an account of the tests undertaken, not a timetable for competitive clearance.
Norbert Riberolle had already withdrawn from the Berencross in Meulebeke on 18 October. Her subsequent absence means the Belgian champion will miss further early-season opportunities while she completes the initial stages of her recovery.
Training return planned, but no race date confirmed
Crelan-Corendon said Norbert Riberolle would take a few days’ rest before being allowed to resume training progressively, with the team’s medical staff overseeing that process. The announcement did not suggest that she was ready to compete immediately, and no date for her return to the start line has been agreed.
The distinction matters at this point in the cyclocross season. The autumn calendar quickly develops into a succession of races, often with only a few days between events. For a rider who has built her recent seasons around consistent starts in Belgium and the Netherlands, missing those races will affect her programme, although the length of the interruption remains unknown.
Nothing in the team’s statement identifies a particular cause for the rhythm disturbance or provides a prediction about her long-term performance. Those questions cannot be answered from the information released so far.
Belgian champion’s season interrupted after strong previous winter
Norbert Riberolle begins the 2026–27 campaign as the reigning Belgian elite women’s cyclocross champion, having defended her national title in January. She had also enjoyed an impressive previous autumn, including a solo victory at Superprestige Ruddervoorde in October 2025.
Her early results this October had therefore been unusual, especially at Ardooie, where she was still fighting for third before her final-lap decline. The race was won by Lucinda Brand, as covered in ProCyclingUK’s women’s Ardooie race report.
The diagnosis helps explain why the Belgian champion was unable to maintain her earlier pace in those races, but the team has not said when she might next compete. Its immediate plan is rest followed by a carefully managed return to training. Any decision about racing will come later.
