🚴🇧🇪 | Tijd voor de wereldbeker! De lichten gaan op groen in Antwerpen en de vrouwen vliegen het veld in 🚀🚀 #CXWorldCup 📺 Stream veldrijden op HBO Max
Dominant Van Empel crushes the competition in first World Cup race after just a few laps
Cyclo-crossSunday, 24 November 2024 at 16:32
Fem van Empel claimed a commanding victory in the Antwerp World Cup. Just like in Kortrijk on Saturday, the world champion was unstoppable. Dutch champion Lucinda Brand, despite a poor start, fought her way to an impressive second place, while Marie Schreiber secured a strong third-place finish.
The Cyclocross World Cup kicked off on Sunday with a sand race in Antwerp. The course along the Scheldt River featured several challenging sandy sections. Van Empel, the big favorite, had already won the previous two editions of this race. Coming off a dominant win at the Exact Cross in Kortrijk, she faced tougher competition in Antwerp, including fellow Dutch riders Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado and Lucinda Brand. However, Alvarado admitted before the race that she had been feeling unwell earlier in the week.
Luxembourg's Schreiber got off to her usual fast start, taking the lead, followed closely by Laura Verdonschot and Van Empel. Alvarado misjudged the first corner and lost several positions, while Brand also had a less-than-ideal start.
Read more below the tweet.
Van Empel takes charge after slow start Brand and Alvarado, leaving them chasing
Schreiber had managed to create a gap over Verdonschot and Van Empel early on, but the latter wasn’t about to let that situation last. With a powerful acceleration, Van Empel dropped Verdonschot and closed in on Schreiber. By the end of the first lap, the duo had a 13-second lead over Annemarie Worst, Sara Casasola, and Verdonschot.
Schreiber managed to hold Van Empel’s pace, though it was clear she was struggling. It seemed only a matter of time before the world champion turned up the pressure. That moment came on a sandy section. Van Empel cut through the sand effortlessly, opening a significant gap on the Luxembourg rider. The Visma | Lease a Bike rider was now in full control.
By the end of the second lap, Van Empel’s lead over Schreiber had grown to ten seconds. Meanwhile, Brand and Alvarado were working their way up to third and fifth, respectively. However, the gap to Van Empel remained large. Brand was 20 seconds behind, with Alvarado trailing by 35 seconds.
Van Empel wins Antwerp for third time in a row
Van Empel’s recent training camp clearly paid off. With apparent ease, she extended her lead over Brand to half a minute and beyond. Brand looked secure in second place, as Schreiber was unable to close the gap. The Luxembourg rider, however, seemed poised to secure a podium spot, maintaining a 20-second buffer over Alvarado and Casasola.
With powerful pedal strokes and the composure of someone completing a hard training session, Van Empel flawlessly handled the final laps of the race. She secured her fifth win of the season and her fourth consecutive victory, cementing her dominance in cyclocross. Brand finished second, and Schreiber rounded out the podium.
🚴🇧🇪 | Er staat geen maat op Fem van Empel. De sterkste, de beste. De winnares van de wereldbeker veldrijden in Antwerpen! 👏👏 #CXWorldCup 📺 Stream veldrijden op HBO Max
Results Antwerp Women's World Cup 2024
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
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Latest Comments
- Well explained, thanks for the clarity! Daniel DantasDanieldantas20-12-2024
- This is the kind of 'news' that belongs in a cheap tabloid. No matter how boring the offseason gets, nobody wants to read this.
santiagobenites19-12-2024 - I wish we could have seen him try. He'd absolutely get dropped before Pogi overtakes his domestiquesVeganpotter10-12-2024
- Talk is cheap! Next year barring crashes with a healthy team... all well be on track! Some need to talk to make a headline!mootman27-11-2024
- I do not see this event listed on HBO Max Sports Online? Can anyone confirm? Thanks!
MrYuck23-11-2024 - It seemed that he was focusing forward at the time of the crash, after seeing a quick video snippet. But one thing I think he should focus on more intently is breaking a bad habit he has, right now. And that is his constant looking over his shoulders. He does that so much, that I am very sure it is not good for him. Simply watch videos of the greats of CX and you will see very little of that constant looking over their shoulders. That is a behavior that betrays a bit of insecurity on his part. He shouldn't be so concerned, incessantly, about what is over his shoulder. He needn't worry they didn't all disappear. He neds to keep his focus more ahead of himself, and he needs to pay a bit more attention to himself, in a confident manner. It is very frustrating to watch, because it is apparent that he has a lot of potential, and is in much better shape thwan many of his competitors, but the mental game needs to be sharpened more, because that part of strategy plays a huge part in the final results
reemmo022-11-2024 - hahahaha love this shit! I didnt even watched the race, but reading all the gossip articles of how stupid this is!Zatoichi19-11-2024
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024