Fem van Empel "never had the legs to win" Koksijde

Fem van Empel ultimately had to content herself with a second place in the X2O Trofee Koksijde, as her knee injury prevented her from fully exerting herself and competing at her best.

It was after much consideration that she decided to compete in today’s cross despite her badly injured knee. "I did hurt my knee a lot; it was still questionable whether I would start," she said in the post-race interview.

She continues, "But I just made the best of it. I will have to wait and see how I react to this. Maybe the Zonhoven World Cup will come into play, but I hope it won't be too bad. But I never had the legs to win. I just tried to get the maximum out of it."

The podium position can be considered a success considering Van Empel's knee injury. "I really didn't feel 100 per cent fit. It says a lot that I hesitated to start. But gosh, I'm on the podium again, so I think I can definitely be satisfied," concluded the Dutchwoman.