Fem van Empel "very confident heading into next week’s World Championships" despite disappointing weekend
Cyclocross
Fem van Empel has been the leading light in women's cyclocross over recent years. The Team Visma | Lease a Bike star has been notably less dominant this winter though, as evidenced this weekend at World Cup Maasmechelen and World Cup Hoogerheide.
After taking 6th in Maasmechelen on Saturday, Van Empel missed out on the podium again on Sunday, finishing 4th in Hoogerheide. “The feeling was much better than yesterday”, Van Empel reflected afterwards though, in a Team Visma | Lease a Bike press release posted on the team's official website. “I came back strong and rode well until the crash."
Despite the somewhat disappointing weekend though, Van Empel heads to her World Championship defence full of confidence. "Of course, it would’ve been nicer if it had been a great weekend, but I’m feeling good and very confident heading into next week’s World Championships," she concludes. "The coming days will mainly be about recovery to ensure I’m fresh at the start in France on Saturday.”
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| 01 | Brand Lucinda | - | 47:47 |
| 02 | Vas Blanka | - | + 28 |
| 03 | Pieterse Puck | - | + 38 |
| 04 | van Empel Fem | - | + 53 |
| 05 | Alvarado Ceylin del Carmen | - | + 01:31 |
| 06 | Backstedt Zoe | - | + 01:48 |
| 07 | Casasola Sara | - | + 01:57 |
| 08 | van der Heijden Inge | - | + 02:05 |
| 09 | Fouquenet Amandine | - | + 02:11 |
| 10 | Holmgren Isabella | - | + 02:20 |
| 11 | Clauzel Hélène | - | + 02:23 |
| 12 | Betsema Denise | - | + 02:27 |
| 13 | Bakker Manon | - | + 03:07 |
| 14 | Bentveld Leonie | - | + 03:18 |
| 15 | Brouwers Julie | - | + 03:19 |
| 16 | Worst Annemarie | - | + 03:26 |
| 17 | Chladonová Viktória | - | + 03:31 |
| 18 | Cant Sanne | - | + 03:38 |
| 19 | Peeters Jinse | - | + 03:51 |
| 20 | Muller Amandine | - | + 04:00 |
| 21 | van Alphen Aniek | - | + 04:11 |
| 22 | Norbert Riberolle Marion | - | + 04:25 |
| 23 | Gariboldi Rebecca | - | + 04:28 |
| 24 | McGill Sidney | - | + 04:39 |
| 25 | Hartog Larissa | - | + 04:53 |
| 26 | Lopez De San Roman Vida | - | + 05:01 |
| 27 | Franck Alicia | - | + 05:13 |
| 28 | Mani Caroline | - | + 05:18 |
| 29 | Ferguson Cat | - | + 05:32 |
| 30 | Krzystala Zuzanna | - | + 05:35 |
| 31 | Bialek Antonina | - | + 05:36 |
| 32 | Gery Célia | - | + 05:47 |
| 33 | Gallezot Electa | - | + 06:07 |
| 34 | Baroni Francesca | - | + 06:16 |
| 35 | Lechner Eva | - | + 06:25 |
| 36 | Kay Anna | - | + 06:28 |
| 37 | De Schoesitter Shanyl | - | + 06:36 |
| 38 | Langenbarg Puck | - | + 06:47 |
| 39 | Vervloet Sterre | - | + 06:50 |
| 40 | Rodriguez Revert Sofia | - | + 06:55 |
| 41 | Crabbe Kiona | - | + 06:59 |
| 42 | Coppens Nette | - | + 07:18 |
| 43 | Nuss Raylyn | - | + 07:37 |
| 44 | Megale Anna | - | + 07:52 |
| 45 | Barthels Maite | - | + 07:57 |
| 46 | Fontana Beatrice | - | + 07:58 |
| 47 | Glaus Jana | - | + 08:01 |
| 48 | Krahl Judith | - | + 08:19 |
| 49 | Douderova Katerina | - | + 08:21 |
| 50 | Sarkisov Katherine | - | + 08:34 |
| 51 | Crees Xan | - | + 08:46 |
| 52 | Bramati Lucia | - | + 08:55 |
| 53 | Wong Esther | - | + 08:59 |
| 54 | Jerabkova Bara | - | + 09:22 |
| 55 | Heigl Nadja | - | + 09:36 |
| 56 | Hurteloup Adèle | - | + 09:41 |
| 57 | De Martin Mia | - | + 09:53 |
🇳🇱 #CXWorldCup
— Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women (@visma_lab_women) January 26, 2025
Good fight, Fem! 💪 pic.twitter.com/2JVZTifsqt
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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