Fem van Empel has been in a dominating streak since the cyclocross season started, but Pauwels Sauzen - Bingoal will not benefit from her talent from January onwards. The Dutch supertalent has signed for Jumbo-Visma, and will be a teammate of Marianne Vos as the year changes, someone who she has been compared with.
In an interview with Het Niewusblad, Pauwels Sauzen - Bingoal team manager Jurgen Mettepenningen said that “Fem has the ambition to ride the Tour, Strade Bianche… We couldn't offer her that. Her contract expires at the end of December, but it actually contained a clause to bind her to us even longer."
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"However, I didn't want to bother with that. No one benefits from an unhappy Fem. And I can't and don't want to get in the way of someone with so much talent if she can't achieve her goals in our team," he continued. The 20-year old has developed within the Belgian team, but with the women's calendar and popularity rising, and her talent on the road proven aswell (van Empel was third at the under-23 European Championships earlier this year) several of the World's best teams seeked to sign her.
Since the cyclocross season has started however, her results have been nothing but impressive. Last year she had taken wins at Val di Sole and Flamanville, but in the 2022-2023 season she has only failed to win in 1 of 6 races. The 3 World Cup rounds that have taken place so far in Waterloo, Fayetteville and Tabor have all seen her take the win, and she is the main favourite to win the competition - with other goals likely to emerge later in the season.
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“When I see Fem cycling, I often think: we are looking at the new Vos," Mettepenningen continued. "She has the same bike and the same sprint. And she's just as all-round. Fem wants to develop on the road, on the mountain bike and in cyclocross, but I think that in the long term she will have to limit herself to two disciplines, which she can then combine at the highest level.”
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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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HATTRICK 💪🏼🔴 @femvanempel & @iserbyteli score 3️⃣ out of 3️⃣ in the CX WorldCup and provide a real hattrick!🤯🤘🏼 UNBELIEVABLE!🔴 #FightToTheFinish 📸 Photopress.be
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