"I'm glad we only had to complete three laps" - Fem van Empel the queen of Koppenberg

Fem van Empel was the main favourite to win the Koppenbergcross and she delivered. The course is brutal on itself, but the muddy conditions made it an even more difficult race. After only three laps she was the victor of the iconic cross.

“You can hardly imagine that you deliver so much power. You really can't move forward. Your rear wheel is constantly spinning and it is important to look for the grass edges as much as possible, but that is treacherous," van Empel told Sporza in the post-race interview. "I'm glad we only had to complete three laps. It was really tough. You have to keep constant pressure on your bike on this course. You can't slow down a bit either. So I rode quite a bit.”

Van Empel didn't really have direct competition, winning with almost two minutes of advantage over Denise Betsema. That put her in the lead of the X20 Badkamers Trofee where - unless she misses several races - she should be able to win. It is very early in the season however. The Dutchwoman only had to stay safe on the bike and she did so wonderfully in the treacherous track.

She didn't look too out of comfort crossing the finish line, lifting her bike with a happy celebration. Her mind already stands in the European Championships this weekend. “It is now important to recover well and then Saturday is a new day. A championship is always a special competition. I am looking forward to that," she concluded.