"We were shoulder to shoulder, but I don't think I did anything wrong"- Fem van Empel responds to Lucinda Brand controversy at CX World Championships

For the third year running, Fem van Empel has claimed the win at the women's Cyclocross World Championships. In a thrilling head-to-head battle on Saturday afternoon in Lievin, Van Empel denied compatriot Lucinda Brand at the line.

On the especially exciting final lap, there was one point where Van Empel and Brand made contact, almost bringing each other down. Although she didn't say it was the reason she lost, post-race Brand vented her frustrations at the racing of Van Empel. "I'm standing here very grumpy," Brand told Sporza afterwards. "It was a beautiful race in which we were evenly matched. Everyone knows that she would normally be the strongest in that final straight. But I don't know what to think about the fact that it is necessary to ride someone into the fences. Honestly: I didn't think this was acceptable."

Now, in an interview with Wielerflits, the newly crowned world champion has hit back. “We were in the middle of the final, the two of us. It was still a minute to the finish, maybe a bit longer. We were at a crucial point on the course, on that sloping side. I think we both knew that if you wanted to win the race, it had to happen somewhere there. You had to be in the lead there," the Team Visma | Lease a Bike star details. "We were shoulder to shoulder, but I don't think I did anything wrong. We were both just riding for the win.”

"I didn't watch the race on TV, of course. But I always ride the races with respect," Van Empel adds defiantly. "I don't ride around to cut someone off. I'm the last person to knock someone off their bike. It has to be done with respect. But this was just a duel. Shoulder to shoulder, in the middle of the final. I don't know what else to say about that."