"Do you think I lost today, then?" Why Van Empel and Visma | Lease a Bike are now happy with second place

On Sunday, Brand broke away from a lead group of seven in the second lap. On the steep opening sections of the course, she was stronger than her competitors, forcing Van Empel to chase early. "Closing the gap wasn’t easy," she analyzed afterward in the flash interview. "She attacked at the right moment, and we slowed down — that was unfortunate. I have no excuses, so I’m satisfied with my own race," she said, remaining realistic and optimistic.

The world champion hasn’t reached peak form yet, but she’s seeing gradual progress in her cyclocross performance. "It’s already a few percent better than the past weeks, so I’m really happy with that." Next weekend is the European Championships in Pontevedra, Spain, a target for Van Empel, but first, she will focus on another race. "Friday’s Koppenbergcross, which I’m really focused on. I’m looking forward to it. After that, the European Championships, which will likely be a tactical race."

The 22-year-old Dutchwoman is not yet in top form, and she and Visma | Lease a Bike actually planned it like that for this season. "I’ve structured the season very differently from last year, with a different preparation. The main goal is, of course, the World Championships. If I peak now, it might be too soon, but there are still several races where I have interim goals."

When asked if she’s getting used to the feeling of "losing," Van Empel responded with a bit of cynicism after the podium ceremony: "Do you think I lost today, then? There’s nothing wrong with finishing second. That’s still a podium finish. I’ve been on the podium in every race so far, and I know what I’m doing, so I’m satisfied with this. I had a different road season, with a busy summer. I raced the Tour and had a different cyclocross preparation. The setup is different, so you can’t expect the same results. This was all planned for beforehand."

Her coach and team manager, Jan Boven, agrees. "Fem didn’t necessarily spend more time on the road. Last year, she did the Tour of Romandie, and this year, she did the Tour de France. But we’ve organized her winter differently, even considering some of the spring classics. That’s why we’re adding in different forms of training, and you can see the effects of that now."

When asked what’s different about this preparation, both Van Empel and Boven are vague. "I’m not going to say specifically what we’re doing differently, but last year, I was fully focused on the cyclocross season. What we’re doing now is with an eye toward the future. That means making choices, and I’m doing that now," said Van Empel. Her coach jumps in. "We’re seeing a very strong Lucinda and Alvarado as well. So Fem is where she can be. We started this path back in February, starting with the road season, and we evaluated that. What could we improve? This approach came out of that. I’m not focused on numbers but more on feeling and attitude. What I see is enough right now."

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The good form should gradually come into place. With the Koppenbergcross on Friday and the European Championships in Spain on Sunday, an important week lies ahead. "We never considered starting later with the spring in mind. We had a good rest period after the Tour and built back up from there. We’re trying to extend that build-up phase a bit longer than last year. We’re working less specifically toward this period, but the next two races are already very important. Now it really starts," said Boven.

Van Empel also acknowledges that the doubleheader with Koppenberg and Pontevedra won’t be easy. "It’ll be a challenge, but I like that. I hope everything goes well with travel on Friday, but we have no control over what the plane does. If everything goes smoothly, we’ll make it," she laughed. She also smiles when discussing her fierce battles with Lucinda Brand and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado. "This keeps you sharp and is great for the sport. These races elevate the sport because everyone improves. It’s fantastic for the future, and it’s also nice that almost every cyclocross race has had a different winner. That makes it fun to watch. We’re keeping it exciting."