World Champion Fem van Empel (Visma-Lease a Bike) won the X20 Badkamers Trofee race in Herentals, benefitting from the mistakes of others to win the race a second year running.
After both crashed in the second half of the race, Lucinda Brand (Trek-Baloise Lions) and Ceylin Alvarado (Fenix-Deceuninck) sprinted for second place. Dutch champion Brand was strongest, finishing ahead of Alvarado and Annemarie Worst (Cyclocross Reds).
Van Empel's win comes after a period of rest and training as she gears up not only to defend her world title, but also for a full season on the road for Visma-Lease a Bike.
"It was superb, yeah. I worked very hard the last weeks and to win here in Herentals is super," Van Empel said in the TV interview after the finish.
"The feelings were good today. It's always hard work here...I knew I had to put pressure on the rest of them. And I knew I had to put pressure on on the climb."
The course in Herentals is challenging and technical, but Van Empel was able to use her bike-handling skills to gain an advantage over her rivals.
"If you can be first into the descents you can pick your own line. It was a good day for me, I didn't make any mistakes," she added.
How it Unfolded
Early on, fighting through a course covered in claggy mud, the race's three favourites broke clear of the rest of the field. World Champion Fem van Empel, Ceylin Alvarado and Lucinda Brand showed their class, with some resistance from Annemarie Worst.
The four stayed together until Brand put in a strong acceleration on lap three of five, initially distancing all of her companions before Van Empel reeled her in. Just behind, Alvarado had an incident in the pits, crashing and unseating her chain, seeing a seemingly insurmountable gap open up in front of her.
As Worst steadily closed down the leading duo, Brand fell awkwardly on a technical, muddy climb, leaving Van Empel alone in the lead, five seconds clear of Worst with Alvarado chasing alongside Brand.
During the final lap, Brand and Alvarado caught a battling Worst as they pursued the World Champion, who was stretching out her lead. The pair continued a strong pace, giving Worst some trouble in staying in touch.
Van Empel stayed strong to take a comfortable win in Herentals, repeating her victory from 2023. 19 seconds later, Brand out-sprinted Alvarado and Worst to take the runner-up spot in a Dutch 1-2-3-4.
