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Fem van Empel also won the third cyclo-cross of the World Cup season on Sunday. The twenty-year-old Dutchman had had a few short nights, but was still the fastest in the Czech Tábor.
Van Empel, currently competing for Belgium’s Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal, has previously won both World Cup crosses in the United States (Waterloo and Fayetteville). On January 1, she will be transferred to Jumbo-Visma.
The Brabant girl was not as supreme in Tábor as in the previous stages, but struck at the last minute. On the fast course, seven women battled for victory in the final run. Van Empel didn’t give up in the sprint and won with a clear lead over her compatriots Puck Pieterse and Annemarie Worst, who finished second and third.
With his victory, Van Empel reinforced his leading position in the World Cup standings.
Stand UCI Wereldbeker
- 1. Fem van Empel (Nederland) – 120 punten
- 2. Annemarie Worst (Nederland) – 71 punten
- 3. Ceylin Del Carmen Alvarado (Nederland) – 70 punten
- 4. Denise Betsema (Nederland) – 66 punten
- 5. Inge van der Heijden (Nederland) – 59 punten
“Only slept two hours each time for three nights”
Due to the circumstances, Van Empel could not immediately attack fully. She didn’t feel as strong because of the jet lag, following the flight home from the United States. “All I could do at first was follow,” said Van Empel after his victory in Tábor.
“I only slept two hours for three nights. Last night I finally had a good night’s sleep and it worked wonders.”
Among the men, Lars van der Haar had to settle for second place in Tábor, where he won last year. The Dutchman finished five seconds behind Eli Iserbyt, who is unbeatable so far this year. The Belgian has triumphed in all three World Cup matches.
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