On Boxing Day in Gavere, Fem van Empel once more put on a commanding display in her return to cyclocross after a bruised knee forced her off the bike for eleven days. She surged clear early on with only Puck Pieterse able to stick close. The pair briefly gapped the chasing group, which included Lucinda Brand and Zoë Backstedt, before Van Empel raised the tempo in the second lap.
By the penultimate lap, Van Empel’s advantage had grown comfortably, and she pressed on to secure a solo victory. Afterwards, she said, “The last few days haven’t been easy for me, but today I showed that my condition is good. My knee is doing well too.” She explained that she had scarcely trained since her injury. “I haven’t been able to do much in recent days, just a bit of riding. The pain isn’t completely gone yet, but it felt good enough to start. We’ll continue looking after the knee and hope it heals fully.”
Van Empel also praised her strength on the running sections. “The running section is always a strong part of my race, although you have to pay attention to everything on this course. I’m glad I was able to do this,” she said.
Behind her, Brand overhauled Pieterse in a fierce battle for second. Brand, though, felt she had room for improvement. “It wasn’t great. I simply lacked the freshness and made lots of small mistakes, which caused big gaps in the end. It certainly wasn’t bad, but if I can cut out those mistakes, I’d be up there for the win a lot longer.” Meanwhile, Pieterse was upbeat about finishing third. “This was one of my best starts this season and I managed to keep my pace. Lucinda still passed me in the final laps, but I knew she was a strong runner,” she said, adding, “She had a brief struggle, but in the final minutes, she still pulled away from me. Maybe next time I need to pick better lines.”
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Photo Credit: GettyVan der Poel wins solo once more as battles with Van Aert are imminent
Mathieu van der Poel secured his third cyclocross victory of the season in similarly challenging conditions. Starting on the second row, he carefully worked his way forward to join a group featuring Thibau Nys, Pim Ronhaar and Michael Vanthourenhout. Early in the third lap, Van der Poel turned up the power during a running section and opened a gap that steadily grew.
Vanthourenhout tried to close it whenever Van der Poel’s slip-ups allowed him a few spare seconds. In the end, Van der Poel crossed the finish line roughly half a minute in front. He admitted it was not an entirely smooth ride. “It was difficult to stay focused. I made lots of mistakes as a result,” he revealed. “The course just kept getting heavier. The mud got thicker and thicker and at one point, it was almost impossible to ride through. I really made a lot of mistakes, so I was happy when I crossed the line. Michael was putting on some serious pressure, so I really felt it.”
He noted that these heavy races are part of his plan to prepare for the road season. “That’s exactly why I’m racing cyclocross this winter. We’ll see tomorrow,” he said, referring to his next outing against Wout van Aert. Vanthourenhout stayed solidly in second, while Nys sealed third despite a determined chase from Lars van der Haar.
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Main photo credit: Getty
