Fem van Empel made it a hat-trick of elite Cyclo-cross World Championship titles after getting back from a late assault by Lucinda Brand to take victory in Liévin, France, on Saturday. Puck Pieterse rounded out the rostrum in third place, for an all-Dutch podium.
The much-awaited battle between the Dutch rivals transpired into an intriguing contest, which was determined within the closing moments of the elite ladies’s six-lap race.
Brand powered away whereas Van Empel was taking a motorcycle change on the penultimate lap, which put Van Empel beneath extreme stress forward of the closing lap of the race.
However, 22-year-old Van Empel used her operating pace and power on the steep climbs to claw again on the ultimate lap.
The rivals went side-by-side and traded blows within the closing levels as they charged by means of the final technical sections.
However, a mistake by Brand coming into the ultimate tarmac end gave Van Empel the benefit she required to take a slender victory.
“I did not realise that I had received the race as a result of I actually needed to go deep for it,” Van Empel stated. “It was a troublesome battle, and mentally, it was exhausting due to final weekend … This is kind of emotional.”
More to return…
Results
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