Van Empel returns to CX this weekend after long break from all competition
Reigning cyclocross world champion Fem van Empel is making her return to competition on Sunday at Superprestige Ruddervoorde, ending several months away from racing since the Visma-Lease a Bike rider announced she was taking a break from the road "for my mental health and well-being."
"It feels really good to return. I’m genuinely excited to race again and, most of all, to enjoy it,” Van Empel said in quotes included in her team's announcement. “That’s the most important thing for me right now – to have fun competing in the rainbow jersey and to feel that race rhythm again."
At Ruddervoorde, the 23-year-old begins her new chapter as a fully-dedicated cyclocross rider. From here, it's full steam ahead with four races crammed in before her first big goal at Koppenbergcross on 1 November.
