"it is nice to start the year with a victory" - Fem van Empel back to the top after a few difficult days
Cyclocross
In Gavere and Hulst, Fem van Empel found herself away from the top step. It was an unusual sight for the Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider who has been overwhelmingly dominant in cyclocross throughout the past 12 months, but today she put on a convincing ride at the GP Sven Nys.
“I notice that my technique has been letting me down lately. It's not that I suddenly can't steer anymore, but it does look like it. There is work to be done," the World Champion admits in a post-race interview. “I think it's all in my mind. Normally I can go down quite well. I don't know, maybe I should train on the cross bike more often.”
Van Empel has also been preparing for the road season, and technically speaking she feels the difference in the more technical tracks. Although today's race in Baal was not overly technical, it featured a lot of muddy and slippery sections where she felt the difference. Throughout three of the four laps she was matched by Lucinda Brand.
However in the last lap she had the upper hand and distanced the Dutch rider to take her first win of the year. “Will my program be adjusted? We'll see. But it is nice to start the year with a victory, especially with the new sponsor." With this, she also increased her already comfortable lead in the X2O Badkamers Trofee, now with 6:06 minutes over Brand herself.
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- how else is there to look at things? we are responding to words and pictures, we are not there. your long winded replies make zero sense to anyone. pretty much everyone but you says the same thing. MS was robbed. somehow you think you're so smart to dig beneath the surface and discover something no one else, including the opposing coach and cyclist, saw. lol. you are a tool.mij09-11-2026
- Pidcock finished 9th place, 29 minutes down. he is a helluva rider, so gutsy. and he is amazing at all disciplines. but this headline is . . .mij09-11-2026
- I know, watch the video. and listen to her competitors. it was a tricky tacky call at best. WTF is this guy talking about??? my original comment was from the picture it didn't look like anything.mij09-11-2026
- I dunno what you're talking about. you make no sense. MS's competitor and the competitors coach said it was BS. she didn't deviate in a way that relegation should be required. revel LOL. you're so cool, in your own mind.mij09-11-2026
- deviation lol, watch the videomij09-11-2026
- the 'No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines' comment was unfortunately a bit off. didn't you just boast about your principles in the comments section of another article?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- Are you MrMauMau 2.0? Nothing you are saying is really relevant. Vaguely connected, but irrelevant. The conversation is whether Schreiber impeded Brand or not.
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
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🏆 X2O Trofee Baal (C1) 🇧🇪 1 🇳🇱 Fem van Empel 2 🇳🇱 Lucinda Brand 3 🇨🇦 Ava Holmgren 4 🇧🇪 Cant 5 🇺🇸 Honsinger 6 🇨🇭 Keller 7 🇳🇱 Betsema 8 🇬🇧 Kay 9 🇨🇦 I. Holmgren 10 🇨🇦 Carrier ➡️ Results: bit.ly/48eeALp
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