fem van empel Fem van Empel claimed her third consecutive European cyclo-cross title in the elite women’s category. In a thrilling battle between the three top Dutch riders of the moment, it came down to the final lap. In a close fight, with elbows jostling up to the last corner, Van Empel narrowly beat Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado in a sprint. Lucinda Brand looked incredibly strong but made too many mistakes, taking the bronze.
Under the warm Spanish sun, it was a surprising sight: only twenty participants, with nine from the "Low Countries". Brand was lucky, as she missed her start entirely and ended up at the back of the field. She quickly made her way to the front, but Van Empel was watching closely. Van Empel stood on the pedals early, launching a first attack, with Alvarado and Sara Casasola on her wheel.
When the world champion realized after the first pass by the finish that the gaps were small and no one else was taking over, the pace dropped. This allowed nearly everyone to rejoin at the front. This pattern repeated in the second and third laps, with Alvarado particularly sharp. So, it was no surprise that Van Empel and Alvarado found themselves together as the pace picked up midway through the race.
Brand saw the danger and closed the gap, had to bridge another gap due to a mistake, but as they entered the sixth lap, we briefly had three Dutch leaders. Briefly, because the Belgians, with Alicia […]
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