French weather app doesn't appear often on Fem van Empel's phone: "It's too depressing"

While the competition among the men is still relatively open, at the Women's European Cyclocross Championship in Pontchâteau there is one absolute favorite: Fem van Empel won all six of the races she participated in this season and heads into the European title fight as the main contender for the title.

On Wednesday, she once again demonstrated her strength in the Koppenbergcross: she barely tolerated opposition for a grand total of two and a half minutes, before the race truly turned into the grand Van Empel show. However, even for her, it was occasionally difficult getting up the incredibly slippery slope. "It was really tough. It was a matter of maintaining as much pressure as possible and seeking out the grassy edges, so it was really quite challenging."

While ladies such as Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado and Inge van der Heijden withdrew in the run-up to Sunday, that was absolutely not an option for Van Empel. "From the beginning of the season, I wanted to ride the Koppenberg no matter what. With these conditions, the Koppenberg is extra special, so I wouldn't have wanted to miss it for all the gold in the world," the lady from Brabant told IDLProCycling.com with a smile - and an unintentional play on words.

"I can certainly enjoy this," she revisited the conditions in the Flemish Ardennes. "The Koppenberg is my favorite cyclocross race, so I definitely wanted to contend here. The Koppenberg has something special: when you mention that name, everyone knows what you're talking about."

Van Empel travels to France by car

Van Empel's next race will be on Saturday, in Pontchâteau. "I can recover well from this, so bring it on for Saturday. I don't really see it as a championship, but just like any other race. That's how I try to approach it. Of course, I still have to travel to France by car. I also still have to recover from the Koppenberg and then it will be time to pick up the preparation, just like always."

In the vicinity of Nantes, the weather conditions will probably be terrible due to storm Ciaran, which even puts a small question mark behind the continuation of the European Championship. Van Empel says she is not very concerned about it. "I have seen the weather forecast, but I think you shouldn't look at it too often. It's too depressing," she concludes with a laugh.