Hat trick! Fem van Empel wins World Cup Benidorm after epic battle with Lucinda Brand

Fem van Empel has won the cyclcross World Cup Benidorm after a magnificent ride, where she beat Lucinda Brand for her third win in Benidorm. Marie Schreiber came third, just behind the top two.

At the start, it was Fem van Empel and Marie Schreiber who had the best starts, whilst Lucinda Brand lost some positions early on. But after a relatively quiet first lap, it was in fact Brand who managed to take the lead from her rival Van Empel (who has won this race twice before) on the second lap.

But there was more changes as the bunch headed onto the third and fourth rounds. On the third lap, two time world champion Van Empel surged to the front and led Schreiber and also Zoe Backstedt, but then Brand came back and led the way.

A leading trio of Brand, Van Empel and Blanka Kata Vas finally emerged as lap four came to an end. Yet, once again, this was not the winning move, as midway through lap 5 the pack came back together once again. Benidorm was quickly becoming one of the closest races of the season, but where would the winning move come from?

In an epic final lap battle, it was Van Empel who just managed to hold off Lucinda Brand for the victory, in one of the very best races of the season.

Would you believe it, the winter has flown by and there are now just 2 races left of the World Cup season. There's a double header next weekend, and the riders will head to Maasmechelen on Saturday before the finale takes place on Sunday in Hoogerheide.