Rainbow Jersey hat-trick! Fem van Empel overcomes Lucinda Brand in Cyclocross World Championship thriller in Lievin

Fem van Empel has done it again! For the third straight year, the Dutchwoman has claimed the Rainbow Jersey at the Cyclocross World Championships, but in 2025 in Lievin, she was properly made to work for it by runner-up Lucinda Brand.

Fastest out of the blocks was French star Amandine Fouquenet, much to the delight of the packed crowd in Lievin. It wasn't long before the reigning world champion Fem van Empel came to the fore though, with only Puck Pieterse able to keep contact by the end of the first lap. At the front of the race it was a sea of orange as Lucinda Brand also came back into the mix on lap 2. In fact, as Pieterse and Van Empel pitted, Brand chose to stay out and moved into the lead herself momentarily.

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Seemingly with every corner the lead was changing, with all three Dutch stars determined to set the pace at the front. On the third lap, Pieterse started to get distanced by her compatriots and as Van Empel surged into another acceleration, Brand too was soon struggling to keep the wheel. As they crossed the line for the end of lap 3 though, Brand had managed to get back to the front.

Pieterse wasn't completely out of the running yet either, but every time she looked like regaining contact, Brand and Van Empel accelerated again to push Pieterse back. As the penultimate 5th lap began, Brand and Van Empel were still locked together at the front, with Pieterse now properly distanced at 15 seconds off the pace.

On lap 5, as Van Empel pitted, Brand opted to stay out again, accelerating instead in an attempt to put the pressure on the reigning world champion. As Brand took the bell for the last lap, her advantage was a mere 4 seconds from Van Empel. Brand though, was clearly throwing caution to the wind at this point, throwing it in and out of every corner in order to eek out any possible advantage. Despite this though, as the clock ticked to the 50 minute mark, Van Empel finally got back in contact at the front of the race.

As the pair traded attacks in the corners following, neither were able to force a truly race-winning gap. Just as they headed onto the road though, Brand made a fatal error, allowing Van Empel to take the victory in the final straight, securing a third successive Rainbow Jersey win.

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