"Winning never gets used to" - Fem van Empel takes over Cyclocross World Cup lead

Fem van Empel secured the cyclocross World Cup in Waterloo, which was held on Sunday. This is the third World Cup victory of her career and the third victory of this season.

"Winning never gets used to," she told WielerFlits. She continues, "The World Cup is highly regarded, and the best always compete. That I get to win the first one is nice. It didn't come naturally. I had to fight hard for it, but that's only beautiful."

The main hurdles for her were Lucinda Brand and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, but she eventually overcame them. "The plan was to go in the last half lap. I was well placed and passed Lucinda, but she came over. It was a matter of keeping a cool head towards the finish. I didn't know then that Ceylin was still so close, but it worked out."

Her focus now turns to the World Cup in Fayetteville, where she finished third at the World Championships for Under-23s last season. "That was a little disappointing for me then, but in terms of course, there are possibilities. Hopefully, I won't suffer too much from the trip because we are on the road with the team for 12 hours by car," concluded van Empel.