“What’s going on with Fem van Empel?”, many have wondered in recent weeks. The world champion was so dominant last year, but fell short several times at the start of the season this year.
“I have my sights set on the Koppenberg and the European Championships and should not peak too early with a view to the World Cup,” she gave a simple explanation.
Today those words turned out to be completely true. Van Empel took control from the start and put heavy pressure on the competition.
During the first passage through the field, the group of contenders was already reduced to 5 riders: in addition to the world champion, Lucinda Brand, Sara Casasola, Annemarie Worst and Blanka Vas were also present.
But that was still too many for the Dutch. Together with Brand she gave it another big shot on the cobblestones after round 1, the duo seemed to be going to fight it out among themselves.
Although that story was also short-lived. At the start of round 2, Van Empel crept away from her compatriot meter by meter, but after that it never became exciting again.
Van Empel took the victory with superior force and pointed to the line going down. “This is my land,” she seemed to say. With three victories in a row, she is gradually becoming the queen of the Koppenberg. And more importantly: she seems to be in top form just in time for a new title at the European Championships on Sunday.
