Fem van Empel has won once again as the reigning World Champion. The Team Visma - Lease a Bike rider has put on a massive display of power in Hamme and increased her lead in the X2O Trofee.
The race started off with Fem van Empel hitting the front and there wasn't a big story to it. The World Champion was the overwhelmingly strongest rider in today's race in Hamme and created the decisive gap in the first lap already.
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Manon Bakker and Lucinda Brand kept the chase on in the muddy circuit but the gap escalated out of control relatively quickly. Brand eventually distanced her compatriot halfway through the race but the gap continued to increase.
Fem van Empel eventually reached the finish line safely. Before tomorrow's Hoogerheide World Cup, she has proved her form. Lucinda Brand rolled in in second place and Manon Bakker completed the podium ahead of Laura Verdonschot.
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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