Fem van Empel reflects on Dutch national championship result- "I have no excuse for the win. I was just a few percent short"

Fem van Empel had to be content with a third-place finish in the Dutch national cyclocross championship on Sunday. Despite giving her all, Puck Pieterse's solo victory left her unable to secure the top spot.

“The first part of the cross, I felt pretty good,” Van Empel said in the post-race interview. She continues, “Then I waited a bit and immediately noticed that the first part of the course suited me better. The conditions were extreme, so that made it extra tough.”

Pieterse's offensive move in the third lap caught her off guard, and she was unable to counter it. “The moment Puck went, I was in the third position. Pretty soon after that, it shot into my back when dismounting, so I have no excuse for the win. In the end, I was just a few per cent short,” said van Empel.

The defeat could be attributed to the knee injury she sustained at the Val di Sole World Cup. She is now focusing on the World Championship. “The NK may have come a bit too early after what happened to my knee in Val di Sole. I haven't really been able to train well the last week because I caught a cold in Koksijde. These are not my weeks, but I still have some time before the World Championship. Although that's also coming soon,” concluded van Empel.