Jumbo-Visma and Van Empel had to 'search for a bit' in the first months: "From that moment, things started to click"

In Maasmechelen on Sunday, she once again delivered a convincing performance. Early in the race, she distanced herself from the competition, and they never saw her again until the finish. Driven by her result-oriented mindset, she continued to search for areas of improvement. "Actually, it was quite challenging, especially in the first round. I didn't feel that great, but it improved from the second round."

During her solo effort, she kept scrutinizing the details that could be enhanced. "It's quite challenging to ride an entire race alone, especially because you have plenty of time to think. The key is to maintain a consistent pace so they can't catch up. I also tried to challenge myself on the climbs," she said with a smile.

Team manager Jan Boven didn't have to be too concerned about his rider. Next week, she's aiming for the Koppenbergcross and the European Championships in Pontchateau, France. "It's going to be difficult to stop her in the coming week, but in the period after that, there will be more contenders, of course. After the European Championships, Fem will also take a short break of two and a half weeks to rest and clear her mind."

Currently, Shirin van Anrooij and Puck Pieterse are on that break, and they are the women that Boven also mentioned in her conversation with IDLProCycling.com. They have demonstrated in the past that they can engage in thrilling duels with Fem. While Fem has indeed taken a significant step forward, Shirin has also achieved remarkable feats on the road, and the same applies to Puck on the mountain bike.

Van Empel made the transition to the successful yellow-black team on January 1, and it wasn't all smooth sailing. Above reflected on the situation when asked. "Ultimately, she's a young rider who joined us on January 1. So, you start a new journey, beginning with the cyclocross in Baal on that day." On New Year's Day, Van Empel clinched victory immediately on her debut and went on to secure the World Cup in Hoogerheide a month later. So, one could argue there are more challenging ways to start.

However, her first few months on the road came with higher expectations, and things proved more challenging than anticipated. In an interview with the Brabants Dagblad, she candidly discussed it at the time. "I barely allowed myself any rest after an intense winter, and it took a toll on me mentally and physically."

Boven points out that, logically, it was a bit of an adjustment for her with the new team. "Fem came from a small team where she had established her own support structure," he explains. "Then she joined us, but we have certain guidelines for how we provide support. We believe we have excellent coaches, but it took some time to find the right match. In a team like ours, we have eight coaches, but initially, Fem preferred someone with extensive off-road experience. Eventually, Rutger Tijssen became her coach, and from that point on, everything really started to click."

Boven finds working with a top talent like Van Empel rewarding and also praises his rider's personality. "We've spent a lot of time together, so we've gotten to know each other better. She's very coachable and a pleasure to work with. Of course, she's exceptionally talented, and these are often the easiest individuals to work with. If we can ensure that everything around her is in order, we'll achieve great success," is the team leader's belief.

Furthermore, at her age, Van Empel has a wide range of possibilities. "This year, she spent a period on the mountain bike, aiming to see how far we could go at the Olympics. Alongside Pucken and the two Anna's (Terpstra and Tauber), that was a significant challenge. After the European Championships in Poland, we assessed the road racing opportunities."

In the road cycling discipline, she has already achieved remarkable results, with an impressive performance in the Giro (where Van Empel finished eleventh) and a stage win in the Tour de l'Avenir," Boven mentions. "She really excelled, so we included the Tour de Romandie just before the cross-country season as part of our fine-tuning process. It's about the choices we can make."