On this New Year’s Day, there is no respite for cyclo-cross runners. The plowed specialists met near Baal in Belgium to compete in the GP Sven Nys and the 5th round of X²O Bathrooms Trophy. At the end of a crazy and thrilling race on an ultra-demanding Belgian course, Fem van Empel started the year 2025 as well as it ended 2024, with a 3rd consecutive victory! But his 9th success in total this winter was probably both the hardest and the most beautiful to achieve, at the end of a totally crazy scenario and a memorable finish.
Victim of a fall in the first round and pushed back to around 30 seconds from the lead, the world champion made her comeback gradually before crucifying on the wire Lucinda Brand (Baloise Glowi Lions) – in the lead the entire race – in the final straight, at the cost of an exceptional neck-to-neck sprint which allowed him to jump the champion of the Netherlands on the line. A little fairer in the end, Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) is content with 3rd place, 21 seconds behind his two compatriots. The Batavian trio has widened an abysmal gap over the rest of the competition, the Belgian Sanne Cant (Crelan-Corendon) crossing the line in 4th position, 3’35” behind the winner of the day! In the general classification, Lucinda Brand Despite everything, he still largely maintains the lead with a 9’44” margin over his tormentor of the day.
