VIDEO: Fem van Empel crashes out of race winning contention in Hulst

Although she's been unstoppable for much of the winter, Fem van Empel could not take victory at the latest UCI World Cup round in Hulst on Saturday afternoon.

With Puck Pieterse leading, van Empel and Lucinda Brand and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado were in hot pursuit. After a muddy descent, however, the world champion's front wheel got caught in the ground when she had to brake hard to avoid hitting Lucinda Brand, who was just in front of her, and fell off her bike. Despite a massive effort to get back into contention, van Empel couldn't force her way back onto the podium.

Check it out for yourself in the video below!