Is Van der Heijden ready to consistently compete with Van Empel and Pieterse? "They are just a bit more fierce"

Looking at the results list of the 24-year-old Crelan-Corendon rider, one sees almost nothing but top ten placements. Especially in the recent races, things have been going smoothly for the North Brabant native, who is understandably very pleased with her form. "I think my form has always been pretty good. It's more that the courses at the beginning of the season often just didn't suit me, or the weather conditions were unpleasant for me. However, the last few weeks have been really good. I'm feeling very comfortable, especially since there's a period coming up with many fast courses. Those races usually suit me very well," she says, obviously looking forward to what's to come.

"I really knew I had it in me, it just never really came out. So it's very nice that the hard work and my good form are now being rewarded with great performances," she continues her analysis of the season so far. "I also recover quickly, and that's always a bonus during the busy cyclo-cross period. The training camp also worked out very well. During such a camp, you can work on the basics, as well as on endurance. This helps you to charge up for the second part of the cyclo-cross season. You can simply fine-tune things, especially since we normally can’t train much during the week. Besides, it's always nice to train in Spain just because of the weather. I also like that there are some changes now and then, so you don't get stuck in the 'going from race to race' rut. That's partly why I'm really looking forward to the upcoming cyclo-cross races. Hopefully, I can continue this trend."

Ambition is certainly not lacking in Van der Heijden, who then lays out her race schedule. "After Hulst, I will also compete in the races in Gullegem (on January 6th, ed.) and Zonhoven (on January 7th, ed.). So there's a week in between. It's a time to kind of recover, and then race again every week after that. Normally, I'll also be riding in Benidorm (on January 21st, ed.), as well as in Hoogerheide (on January 28th, ed.)."

So what is at the top of Van der Heijden's priority list? "For me, of course, working towards the World Championships is also partly the goal. It's really something I've set as a target, although that will be the case for many ladies. On the other hand, if I can continue at this level in the next races, I'll be incredibly satisfied."

Van der Heijden is doing exceptionally well. When this website then asks her what areas still need improvement, she gives a clear answer. "I think my form is good. Technically, there's always room for improvement for me. Also, I sometimes struggle in muddy cyclo-cross races. But the more I do them, the better it goes. Perhaps having more confidence in myself is the most important thing. Just having that mindset that I can do it, instead of overly negative thinking."

We also spoke with Van der Heijden in mid-September, who at the time expressed a desire to compete with 'the Big Three' (Puck Pieterse, Fem van Empel and Shirin van Anrooij, ed.). At the time of writing, she has already made things difficult on those three world-class competitors - especially Pieterse and Van Empel - several times. "In some races, like the one in Heusden-Zolder (Van der Heijden finished third, ed.), the difference isn't that big," she says when we ask her about the difference in level. "I rode the entire race alone there because I missed my start. But when it comes to the finale, riders like Fem and Puck are just a bit more fierce and have a bit more left in the tank than I do."