Despite crash in slippery Roubaix recon, Van Empel secures victory in Gavere: "Hope my knee heals well"

Fem van Empel has returned to the highest spot. The Visma | Lease a bike rider, experienced turbulent weeks leading up to the World Cup race in Gavere, but managed to finish this muddy race victoriously. IDLProCycling.com spoke with sports director Jan Boven before the start and with Fem after the podium ceremony.

During that ceremony, the 22-year-old talent finally heard the national anthem again, which had not been played for her at the cyclo-cross races in recent weeks. After winning the cyclo-cross in Herentals, the bad luck began a day later in Namur. There, she slipped on the ground several times, with a hard bump to her knee being the biggest concern. In the end, Van Empel had to skip several races to be able to compete again in Gavere. But she did win that one in style.

Sport director Boven explained to this website what exactly happened in the meantime. "First, the crash in Namur, where she already hit the knee. Then, on Monday, we had a day of rest and two days of recon in Flanders and Roubaix. One of the last strips of Roubaix was very bad, and that's where she just slipped a little bit. And hit the same knee. And that was a sore spot. There is still a bit of a bruise; otherwise, it feels okay."

Due to a crash during the recon of the cobbled lanes in northern France, things went wrong for Van Empel, who could not do much the following week. "Namur was part of it; things happen. My season before Namur was outstanding, and I took that feeling to the present day." Because of the two crashes in which the knee was hit, there was hardly anything to notice in Gavere because the world champion soloed to the win. "The knee was pretty good. I am glad it didn't get much worse. I hope my knee recovers well, but I didn't suffer today."

Van Empel and Boven see positive changes: "Don't care much about what people say"

With several setbacks in a short time, Boven's main concern was providing coaching for the still young Van Empel. "In the end, you never quite know how she deals with that. You can't look on the inside. It will certainly affect things, too. When we just started this project, compared to now, she has made great progress. It was also a good decision to skip last weekend. Just be smart, recover for a while, and then start again when everything feels right."

And that was the case again in Gavere, although the past period may still have been rattling around in the mind before the start. "It will never be completely forgotten. For example, we wouldn't have been here if the knee didn't feel right. That's also part of the philosophy of the team. You have to be at the start when you are ready."

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Van Empel with team leader Boven at her side.

So, does Van Empel need much support when things get tough? "In the end, it is a project in which Rutger (team manager, ed.), I, and Fem do a lot of things together. You see her taking steps where she was searching a lot in the beginning, and now she knows what she wants very well. And that also makes it easier to work with." The rider herself agrees. "If you see how I ride around today, I don't care much about what people say, whatever judgments they have about me. Sure, it does something to you. I think it's up to me to see the positive side of it. I have to keep my confidence, and I demonstrated that today."

Boven sees danger: "Still a U23 girl"

Boven mainly points out the danger with her young Poulain: "What we quickly forget, of course, when you've already been world champion twice and are only at that age, is that it's still a U23 girl you're working with. Then you think they are very mature. As coaches, we must go back and see where we are in the journey. Then you know she is making steps and is aware of what she wants."

Even in this, Van Empel finds herself when asked the same question. "It's mainly the youthfulness that I used to have. I also have to learn to deal with it. With the pressure, with the media. You also learn a little bit week by week. I think it's quite positive that I have become a bit more mature now," after which she concludes with a greeting in the direction of competitor Puck Pieterse, with whom she briefly discusses between the interview when they will see each other again. "Besançon?" asked Pieterse. "No, I'm not there," Van Empel replied, "Diegem?" "No, that is one I am skipping." "Then we'll see each other in Koksijde," Pieterse concluded.

Read also

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Self-critical Thibau Nys doesn’t hold back: "I don’t want to be that kind of cyclo-cross rider"

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