A day after her long sequence without defeat was broken in Gavere, Fem van Empel (Jumbo-Visma) responded with victory at Superprestige Heusden-Zolder after a gripping duel with Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Alpecin-Deceuninck).
Van Empel had to fight hard for her victory, recovering from a mid-race crash and then withstanding some fierce attacking from Alvarado on the final lap. The race pitted the world champion’s power against Alvarado’s technical skills, and the contest was too close to call for much of the finale.
