X2O Trofee Hamme win a boost of confidence for Van Empel's World Championship aspirations - "I wanted to leave here with a good feeling and I did succeed"

With a victory at X2O Trofee Hamme, Fem van Empel has once again demonstrated her dedication and preparation for the World Championships. She rode alone to the finish line, leaving no room for competition.

"The feeling was not 'supersuper', but it was enough to win," van Empel said in the post-race interview. In the first lap itself, she created a significant gap between herself and the rest of the racers. "It was not my intention to take the lead right away. I was quite tired from the stage in Spain, but fortunately, I was still able to win here."

She further added, "I tried to ride as consistently as possible, and at some moments, I accelerated to still get that incentive. I wanted to leave here with a good feeling and I did succeed."

The win at X2O Trofee Hamme is a good indication of how Fem van Empel will fare at Hoogerheide. "I have already achieved all my goals. A huge amount has been thrown at me. You just have to be there every week anyway. Fortunately, I have the right people around me. But yes, it won't be obvious. Next week is a day apart, but I will do everything I can to be there again then. It will be a normal training week, as always, I'll tackle it like any other race. The preparation doesn't have to be very different either," concluded the Jumbo Visma rider.