"I'm definitely looking forward to that" - Fem van Empel heads to World Cup opener high on confidence after Urban Cross rout
Cyclocross
Back in the field for the first time in just short of three weeks at Urban Cross Kortrijk on Saturday afternoon, Fem van Empel showed she hadn't lost a step as the world champion thundered to a dominant victory.
“This feels great. I am happy to be back and starting with a victory is always fun," the Dutchwoman reflected in her post-race interview afterwards. “I haven’t been sitting still, so I was confident. But the weather was quite different than when you train in warm temperatures. There may have been some doubts about that, but otherwise no doubts.”
Whilst it was dry, the coldness of the conditions and the sharpness of the wind actually led to Van Empel's aggressive start to the race. "It was very cold. That's why I rode fast from the start, to keep myself a bit warm," she explains. "The wind was blowing very hard. That also made it more cold."
Following this winning return to action, Van Empel now also heads to the World Cup opener in Antwerp this Sunday full of confidence. "It's the first World Cup, with a large field of participants and a nice course. I'm definitely looking forward to that," she previews. "I have trained quite a lot. But we will see how it goes in the coming weeks."
| 01 | van Empel Fem | - | 41:57 |
| 02 | Norbert Riberolle Marion | - | + 47 |
| 03 | van der Heijden Inge | - | + 59 |
| 04 | Cant Sanne | - | + 02:12 |
| 05 | Franck Alicia | - | + 02:13 |
| 06 | Wolff Imogen | - | + 02:35 |
| 07 | Peeters Jinse | - | + 02:44 |
| 08 | Kay Anna | - | + 02:53 |
| 09 | Baroni Francesca | - | + 03:16 |
| 10 | Van Sinaey Xaydee | - | + 03:27 |
| 11 | Kalis Bloeme | - | + 03:37 |
| 12 | Sonnemans Sara | - | + 04:14 |
| 13 | Crees Xan | - | + 04:15 |
| 14 | Clauzel Perrine | - | + 04:19 |
| 15 | Day Elena | - | + 04:29 |
🚵🇧🇪 | Terug van een korte 'pauze', maar nog altijd even goed. Een oppermachtige Fem van Empel wint in Kortrijk! 🥇🇳🇱
— Eurosport Nederland (@Eurosport_NL) November 23, 2024
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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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