Training with Visma | Lease a Bike Ladies (and Valverde) in Spain Benefited Van Empel: "Everyone is incredibly supportive"

Fem van Empel pulled the plug in early January after a period of setbacks and illnesses, but those are now completely behind her. The Dutch rider once again showed her class in Benidorm, outsmarting Puck Pieterse with a cunning move towards the last corner. Afterwards, she spoke with IDLProCycling.com about her two and a half weeks without racing.

Anyone would need a break: during her December training camp in Spain, Van Empel fell hard on her knee on the last day, where she was also struck down by illness and had to lay flat for several days. She did win upon her return in Herentals, but the following period was challenging. Then, during her victory in Baal, she slid out on her other knee, leading to a joint decision with her team to skip the races in Koksijde, Zonhoven, and the National Championships.

"We've had a good training block and Fem is fit," team leader Jan Boven told us. "We consciously chose to skip those races with Fem, and we still fully stand behind that decision. That heavy fall in Spain and the illness took a lot of energy, preventing her from training properly. If you eventually want to perform well at the World Championships in Tábor, you need to take some rest at some point. All in all, it was purely a sporting decision. It has worked out well, as the problems seem to be a thing of the past."

On the bike, Van Empel was able to put those words into practice. "It was a very exciting race. Taking that kind of risk in the last corner really shows how confident I felt. It was tricky, but it worked out well. It was also nice to race again," said the Dutchwoman from Visma | Lease a Bike, who will ride a double next weekend with races in Hamme and Hoogerheide before heading to Tábor.

Van Empel is satisfied with Spanish training block

Overall, the time in Spain has been beneficial for the world champion, who also encountered another former world champion, Alejandro Valverde, during training. "I spent the first week alone here and then another week with the team. The interaction is a lot of fun and everything's going well, so naturally, the atmosphere is great. It's always nice to be with the girls and to train together for the road season. You notice that they all share in the excitement of cyclo-cross, which is really fun to see," she describes the camaraderie within the women's team of Visma | Lease a Bike.