Fem van Empel continued the Dutch domination on the Cyclo-cross World Championships by powering clear to win the under-23 ladies’s occasion in Ostend.
The 18-year-old former skilled footballer ran away from her rivals on the final lap within the sand to beat Dutch teammate Aniek van Alphen into second, whereas Blanka Kata Vas (Hungary) took bronze.
Inge van der Heijden (Netherlands) led from the beginning and was caught by a chasing trio with simply over a lap remaining and needed to accept fourth.
It was the third rainbow jersey for the Netherlands in as many races on the Worlds on the North Coastline.
“I can’t consider it I’ve no phrases,” mentioned Van Empel. “I believe and dream about this. Earlier than the race, mentally I used to be excellent. I believed in myself the entire race and the final lap I may make it occur. It’s unbelievable.”
Van Empel had a battle with Vas to enter the sand first on the final lap and she or he defined that the seaside part performed an essential function in her victory.
“Within the sand, I made the distinction,” Van Empel mentioned. “My coach mentioned I have to be first into the sand after the bridge. I pushed on the bridge, however Blanka Kata Vas went all out.”
The way it unfolded
The 2019 under-23 world champion Inge van der Heijden (Netherlands) acquired the quickest begin, whereas a slip on the slim bridge noticed defending champion Marion Norbert Riberolle (France) delayed and she or he would by no means re-join the leaders.
The opening lap via the Ostend sand led to a bunch of issues for riders all through the sphere and Fem van Empel fell off whereas mendacity in second place.
Van der Heijden, in the meantime, was having few issues out in entrance, and she or he climbed the bridge again into the Hippodrome alone with a lead of 10 seconds over the chasers.
Blanka Kata Vas was compelled to chase behind, adopted by the Dutch duo of Aniek van Alphen and Fem Van Empel.
Vas was on the cost over the grass sections of the Hippodrome and was in a position to maintain her pace dropping onto the sand as she pulled again floor on the lone chief.
The 2 Dutch riders within the chasing group had been ultimately in a position to management the tempo and so they sat with Vas 16 seconds behind Van der Heijden on the midway level.
Van der Heijden was beginning to fade, nevertheless, and on the third time via the sand, the ability of her teammate Van Empel lowered the hole to a handful of seconds earlier than the junction was made with simply over a lap remaining.
Vas was sturdy on the sweeping grass turns and slippery surfaces, the place she was in a position to put her Dutch rivals beneath stress, however the main quartet remained collectively on the bell.
Van Alphen was the primary rider to assault for glory as they approached the sand part for the ultimate time, whereas Van der Heijden dropped again after paying for her earlier effort off the entrance.
Because the sand acquired deeper, the previous footballer Van Empel used her operating pace to get a spot on her rivals and she or he was joined by Van Alphen.
Vas suffered within the sand and was 15 seconds behind the chief with the hippodrome part of the race to return, and she or he was now in a battle with Van Der Heijden for bronze.
Following her effort within the sand, Van Empel once more compelled the tempo on the sweeping grass part, gaining a handful of seconds on Van Alphen, which proved sufficient to assert victory.
Van Alphen needed to accept second three seconds again whereas Vas completed strongly to take bronze simply 9 seconds behind the winner.
| # | Rider Title (Nation) Staff | Consequence |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fem van Empel (Netherlands) | 0:36:59 |
| 2 | Aniek van Alphen (Netherlands) | 0:00:03 |
| 3 | Kata Blanka Vas (Hungary) | 0:00:09 |
| 4 | Inge van der Heijden (Netherlands) | 0:00:27 |
| 5 | Francesca Baroni (Italy) | 0:00:54 |
| 6 | Puck Pieterse (Netherlands) | 0:00:56 |
| 7 | Manon Bakker (Netherlands) | 0:01:04 |
| 8 | Anna Kay (Nice Britain) | 0:01:10 |
| 9 | Marthe Truyen (Belgium) | 0:01:53 |
| 10 | Marion Norbert Riberolle (France) | 0:02:11 |
| 11 | Madigan Munro (United States of America) | 0:02:23 |
| 12 | Caroline Bohe (Denmark) | 0:02:25 |
| 13 | Harriet Harnden (Nice Britain) | 0:02:34 |
| 14 | Anaïs Morichon (France) | 0:02:39 |
| 15 | Gaia Realini (Italy) | 0:02:55 |
| 16 | Kiona Crabbe (Belgium) | 0:03:13 |
| 17 | Lauriane Duraffourg (France) | 0:03:16 |
| 18 | Julie De Wilde (Belgium) | 0:03:33 |
| 19 | Amandine Fouquenet (France) | 0:03:37 |
| 20 | Jinse Peeters (Belgium) | 0:03:44 |
| 21 | Ruby West (Canada) | 0:03:47 |
| 22 | Josie Nelson (Nice Britain) | 0:04:28 |
| 23 | Lara Krahemann (Switzerland) | 0:04:42 |
| 24 | Tereza Vanickova (Czech Republic) | 0:05:03 |
| 25 | Susanne Meistrok (Netherlands) | 0:05:42 |
| 26 | Julie Brouwers (Belgium) | 0:05:56 |
| 27 | Sidney McGill (Canada) | 0:05:59 |
| 28 | Sara Casasola (Italy) | 0:06:11 |
| 29 | Tessa Zwaenepoel (Belgium) | 0:06:25 |
| 30 | Sofia Rodriguez Revert (Spain) | 0:06:30 |
| 31 | Sofie Pedersen (Denmark) | 0:06:46 |
| 32 | Dominika Wlodarczyk (Poland) | 0:07:29 |
| 33 | Maite Barthels (Luxembourg) | |
| 34 | Patrycja Zawierta (Poland) | 0:09:02 |
| 35 | Magdalena Zawierta (Poland) | |
| 36 | Julia Zieba (Poland) | |
| DNF | Shirin van Anrooij (Netherlands) |
