World cyclocross champion Fem van Empel will line up for her first race of the new cyclocross season this Sunday in Ruddervoorde, marking her long-awaited return to the discipline she has dominated in recent years.
The 23-year-old Dutch rider, who claimed her third consecutive world title in Liévin earlier this year, has spent much of 2025 rebuilding both her fitness and her enjoyment of racing after taking an extended break in the spring for her mental health.
“It feels really good to return,” Van Empel said on her team’s website. “I’m genuinely excited to race again and, most of all, to enjoy it. That’s the most important thing for me right now – to have fun competing in the rainbow jersey and to feel that race rhythm again.”
Her season debut in Ruddervoorde will be a true test of form after eight months without cyclocross racing. The Superprestige course, known for its technical corners, sand sections and short ramps, will demand precision and race sharpness from the very start.
“I’m really looking forward to racing in Ruddervoorde, even though it’s quite a tough race,” Van Empel said. “In previous years, I got some race intensity from road competitions, which I didn’t have a lot of this time. But I don’t think it will make a big difference. I feel ready to start.”
Visma–Lease a Bike sports director Jan Boven echoed that confidence. “Fem is a true cyclocross rider, and her level in training might be even higher than last year. Everyone is always nervous before the first race, but she’s ready,” he said.
Van Empel’s preparations have focused on endurance and balance. “Over the past period, I’ve mainly done a lot of endurance rides to build a solid base. Long sessions that really helped me improve my stamina,” she explained. “I also added some specific cyclocross training to get the feeling back on the bike. Basically, I followed my usual plan and managed to complete everything as intended.”
Earlier this year, Van Empel revealed that she had struggled deeply with perfectionism and had “lost herself as a person” during her rapid rise to success. Speaking to De Telegraaf, she said that her third world title had brought relief rather than joy, prompting her to step back and reassess her relationship with cycling.
“My own perfectionism caused me to lose myself as a person, so that I only focused on what I was good at,” she said. “I really researched everything in detail to do everything as well as possible – training, nutrition, rest. If I hadn’t done one of those things perfectly, I wondered if I was ready. Looking back now, that’s nonsense. I was more of an athlete than a person. Now I know I’m more than just Fem the cyclist.”
During her break, she “completely let go of cycling”, going on walks, eating ice cream, and spending time baking and gardening. “People around me soon noticed that I had become more open and sociable,” she said. “I also talked to other athletes who had gone through the same thing. That slowly made me realise that I had to stay true to myself.”
Now, as she returns to the mud, crowds and adrenaline of cyclocross, Van Empel’s focus is simple – to enjoy racing again.
“I realised that if I stopped now, I would have had a wonderful career with many great titles,” she said. “But I’m not done yet. On Sunday, I’ll be wearing that beautiful white jersey with stripes. I’m going to enjoy it immensely, which I may not have done enough in recent years. But luckily, I get to ride in the rainbow jersey for one more winter.”
