Three-time cyclocross world champion Fem van Empel returns from hiatus as a teammate of Demi Vollering!
CyclingThursday, 17 September 2026 at 23:00
Fem van Empel returns, 10 months after she disappeared from the peloton, partly under the pressure created by Dutch media. The 24-year-old signed an immediate contract with FDJ United - SUEZ, clearly eyeing a cyclocross return as soon as possible.
Van Empel was (and still is) one of the most talented cyclists of her generation. The three-time cyclocross world champion however faced a burnout during the past winter, and ultimately chose to pause her career shortly after she had pulled out of the Oudenaarde cyclocross one lap into the race on November 1.
"I’m ready for a new adventure and very excited about starting from scratch," said Fem van Empel in a signing announcement. "Above all, I want to have a lot of fun."
Dutch frontpage
For the French team, it's a second high-profile signing of a Dutch athlete in span on 24 months. Van Empel links up with fellow Dutch star Demi Vollering, who terminated her contract at SD Worx to join FDJ - SUEZ in the winter leading up to the 2025 season.
"Fem’s arrival means a lot to us. We all know what a tremendous champion she is and everything she has already accomplished. But today, our priority is first and foremost to support her so that she can rediscover the joy of riding, her smile, and the freedom to fully express herself," said general manager Stephen Delcourt.
FDJ United - SUEZ also massively boosts its off-road contingent for the upcoming season. Next to Vam Empel, the French formation already secured the extremely talented Anja Grossman - XCO (cross-country) junior world champion this year with plethora of medals and European titles across MTB, cyclocross and road - and 2025 XCM (marathon) world champion Kate Courtney who joined the structure earlier this July.
"With Fem, as with Anja Grossmann and Kate Courtney, we are also reinforcing our ambition to build a truly multidisciplinary project, capable of welcoming great champions with their own backgrounds, personalities and ambitions," Delcourt highlights. "Our role goes beyond performance. We want to create an environment in which our athletes can progress, feel supported and thrive, both on and off the bike."
Read also
"More than anything, we can't wait to see Fem smiling on her bike again, enjoying competition, and fully blossoming as an athlete and as a woman. The rest will follow naturally," he concludes.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 2visitors 2
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- It was a high likelihood he would have won the 2023 Giro had he not come down with covid. By the time he had withdrawn he had won two stages and was leading on gc by almost a minute. I doubt Tadej races the Giro next year. If Tadej and Jonas don't race it and Remco can keep the rubber side down he has another good chance to win the race.awp18-09-2026
- UAE asked Wellens to do the late races before Pog crashed. For sure they would like Del Toro to win, but they did not suddenly ask Wellens not to ride the Worlds when Pog withdrew.Hills3317-09-2026
- It is obvious. UAE want del Toro to win so they can have the Rainbow Bands in the team. Wellens would assist Remco in denying del Toro, potentially being a satellite rider (and a long range attack is what is best for Remco). UAE don't want that, so are sending Wellens to the CRO race so he can't help Evenepoel
Rafionain-Glas17-09-2026 - So Belgian and therefore so ironic. Start by getting along with or accepting each other and maybe representing your country won’t be such dilemma. Funny how when we hear about this kind of thing it’s always from the same countries, Belgium for the men and The Netherlands for the women, unless of course you count Tadej’s refusal.Mistermaumau17-09-2026
- What was funny was that Red Bull's official news website didn't state how long the contract is forRafionain-Glas17-09-2026
- Michael Goolaerts (RIP), Briastre: in 2018 he suffered a cardiac arrest and crashed.,which was sadly fatal. Johan Museeuw, Arenberg: suffered a serious fractured kneecap in 1998 which threatened his career Davide Ballerini: Fractures of the hamate and trapezium bones in the left wrist in 2025. Ayco Bastiaens also sustained a left collarbone fractured, while Stefan Küng sustained facial and knee injuries and Silvan Dillier fractured his right hand, still completing his work for van der Poel.Rafionain-Glas17-09-2026
- luke and tom on Race Communique podcast talk about the race and the way it was ridden and how it frazzled the leaders more than normal-- super interesting segment I thoughtjad2917-09-2026
- I'm surpised we havn't seen any articles about that outburst, it was one of his best! He was screaming so loud you could hear it through the footage, full on psycho mode.jad2917-09-2026
- PogiFanBoy peaking through the window to get his photofrieders317-09-2026
- Since these insiders thought doping was the right thing to do, maybe outsiders wouldn't be such a bad thing. I still scratch my head over Hincapie running a pro team. He used just as much as Armstrong.
ScottG17-09-2026
Loading
Write a comment