Fem van Empel continued her winning ways at round #9 of the UCI World Cup in Dublin, Ireland on Sunday. Van Empel easily outsprinted her rival Puck Pieterse for the victory. Denise Betsema finished 3rd at 1:37.
From the start, it was a battle between the two main rivals, Fem van Empel and Puck Pieterse. Pieterse appeared to have the upper-hand on the technical parts of the course, while van Empel showed herself to have more power.
How It Happened
A crash by Pieterse at the barriers in the first lap had many wondering if the race was over, but, to her credit – and strength – Pieterse was able to bridge back up to van Empel by the end of lap 2.
For the remainder of the race, the lead switched back and forth between van Empel and Pieterse, with neither rider appearing to have an advantage over the other. While Van Empel appeared to be not quite 100%, something she revealed before the race in a press interview, she had no difficulty handling the pace. Pieterse, who was technically superior and jumping the barriers each lap, kept pace with van Empel, but wasn’t able to gain any advantage.
In the last laps, van Empel and Pieterse appeared evenly matched, and both tried to gap the other without much success. As the final half lap approached, van Empel took the rear position and waited for the last possible moment before she came around Pieterse and led out the sprint. Pieterse tried to respond but had nothing left and van Empel easily won the sprint.
Results: https://cyclocross24.com/race/12441/
