Fem van Empel is going back to cyclocross
Three-time defending World Cyclocross Champion Fem van Empel announced this week that she is returning from her hiatus from racing, but with a twist: she's going back to the sport she loves the most and leaving road racing behind.
Van Empel joined Visma-Lease a Bike in 2023 at 21 years old and raced road and CX for the team, finding immediate success on the road with an 11th-place finish overall at the Giro d'Italia Women that year and a stage win of the Tour de l'Avenir Femmes. But even as she continued to rack up wins in elite cyclocross, her road progress plateaued and in March she announced a break from the sport.
"I didn't really know who I was outside of racing anymore," she said in the press release announcing her return. During her time off, she focused on where she found joy on and off the bike and came to the considered conclusion that it mostly wasn't on the road. “My motivation and enjoyment on the road were less strong than for cyclocross," she said. "Once I made the choice, it immediately felt right." Her first race back was a road event, La Choralis Fourmies Feminine, but Van Empel plans to race primarily cyclocross from now on. She's under contract with Visma through 2027
