Eight cyclocross races so far this winter for Fem van Empel and eight victories. The latest of which, in Kortrijk was a particularly pleasing result for her trainer, Jan Boven.
"She waited a bit in the beginning, which I think made her less sharp and made that mistake. Then the switch turned and things went well," analyses the Jumbo-Visma coach in conversation with In de Leiderstrui following the X20 Trofee race last Saturday.
A big reason for the continued dominance of the 21-year-old Dutchwoman is the intense training schedule put together for her by Boven himself. "I was confident that she would be good again. Those training sessions really made her better," he explains. "We just had a busy week with the women's team, with a team day and a lot of endurance training. That real freshness may disappear for a while after such a period, but I quickly saw good acceleration in the corners in the cross."
"Endurance training doesn't make you cycle faster, it makes you slower. But I know those workouts are good for something. If not for the short term, then it will be for the long term. I'll have to keep that in mind, especially heading into what I'm going to do next spring," adds van Empel as Boven conludes. "I don't think Fem can do much better, but she can still grow. A lot is a big word and Pieterse, Brand and Vas might also come a little closer. In that respect, you may not always see that improvement in the times or results. But Fem can still improve something."
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