"This is really the icing on the cake" - Fem van Empel caps glorious season with World Championship win in Tabor
Cyclocross
Fem van Empel has left the cyclocross world with little doubt about who the dominant force in the women's discipline is. The Dutchwoman was a dominant winner at the World Championships in Tabor on Saturday afternoon.
“The entire season was all about this competition, so this is really the icing on the cake,” the 21-year-old, who has only been beaten twice in her twenty outings this winter reflected in her post-race interview after adding a second Rainbow Jersey to her palmares.
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With a completely Dutch podium, van Empel triumphed ahead of Puck Pieterse and Lucinda Brand in the Czech Republic.
“This is not only a victory for myself, but also for all of Team Fem, everyone around me. It means a lot to me to defend the title. It's a special day today," she concluded. "Everything had to fall into the right place at the right time. That went very well today, so I'm very happy.”
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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- The article makes it sound like a great thing and something to be applauded. The reality is is gives the Americans another 6 years to fleece European cycling fans or force them to hunt around Europe with VPN’s for free feeds. Not something to be celebrated in my book. Before someone points out that coverage of this depth costs money, yes, I agree but not £30+ per month a fee I will wager will gradually increase now this deal has been cemented.Paul53119-10-2026
- Great. Thrilled. (Satire) Oh, how I miss the days of GCN. Still wear my GCN hoodie with pride.anonymouscyclist19-10-2026
- You could also look at it another way. How many riders have had better or more consistent results since the Tour?Jumpyjohn19-10-2026
- Whilst I love Tadej (and Remco, who deserves to be mentioned here, too), @JumpyJohn makes a valid point, and he isn’t wrong @MajorPayne. It is a fact that today’s official broadcasters of cycling struggle to keep our attention once the likes of Tadej (or Remco) attacks at ~80km or so. In the 142nd issue of Rouleur, Ned Boulting reflects on the often stressful paradox of commentating on a race that is effectively over before the broadcast window even hits its stride. In this edition, he centres on Remco’s 1hr solo at the Challenge Mallorca this year, and captures the panic and dread shared by the commentators when a dominant rider kills off the racing tension early. I recommend you read it, it’s a fascinating insight into the world of commentary, and the true viewing figures of today’s cycling. I must add here, I love Tadej and Remco, but I would be lying if my heart rate wasn’t higher when watching the World Championships this year. And I’m sure Rob Hatch would say something akin regarding his commentary!anonymouscyclist19-10-2026
- The shattered women’s marathon record was clean and highly surprising and then a few months later the athlete was very positive in another test for something not taken by mistake when recording far less impressive results. Sounds to me like the problem is still the age old one, detection is often way behind. Just like with crime, it’s not because you can’t catch the criminals that you aren’t aware of the crime.Jumpyjohn19-10-2026
- Listen, you have a point but on the other hand in cycling, once some of the riders go solo and build a minute’s gap, there’s hardly any action left to watch. Cycling is definitely not for today’s generations of accelerated viewing. Other people find skydiving or chess exciting but you can’t force everyone to feel the same.Jumpyjohn19-10-2026
- That’s a funny one. Yeah obviously he’s more aero than some but most of the aero effect at elite level is the bike. Now you have me starting to feel sorry for the guy behind him when he pulls a groupetto.Jumpyjohn19-10-2026
- Knew a World Tour promotion was coming for Ben this season. Thrilled for him, and can't wait to see what he can do at this level. Another one to watch at the TTs.anonymouscyclist19-10-2026
- It honestly breaks my heart to see this. I had a feeling this might happen over the last few years, but I kept praying it wouldn't, and that Joey would find his niche, especially back racing alongside his brother. After growing up racing alongside PH-MAS, the Pidcock brothers have always felt like one of our own, as we’ve watched them grow from Club level all the way up to PC and WT. I wish Joey nothing but the best of luck in whatever he does next, but selfishly… I do wish for him to move into the role of Q36.5 team staff.anonymouscyclist19-10-2026
- Predictable, sure! But boring??? OMG! Was Mike Tyson predictable and boring in his prime? Air Jordan? Schumacher or Senna? OMG!!!MajorPayne19-10-2026
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DOMINATION! 👏 Unstoppable Fem van Empel 🇳🇱 defends her rainbow stripes, crossing the line with a +1.20s gap on her closest competitor! #Tabor2024
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