Van Empel triumphs at Heusden-Zolder
Fem van Empel has won the sixth round of the Superprestige championship. The 21-year-old rider of Jumbo-Visma proved too strong for the competition at Heusden-Zolder. It is Van Empel's twelfth victory in thirteen races.
The former F1 circuit at Heusden-Zolder provided a fast track for the riders on Wednesday afternoon. Van Empel made an energetic start, and the reigning European and world champion opened up a gap on Alvarado. On the third lap, the 21-year-old tried to break away, but a crash forced her to chase. Van Empel caught up and fought for the win right to the line. In a neck-and-neck race, she proved the strongest.
The young yellow and black rider crashed on a descent halfway through the race. "There are a lot of small potholes on the descent. My front wheel went into one of them, and I crashed”, Van Empel said. "I didn't suffer too much damage and was able to continue. Luckily, I had a target before me, but I still had to get back into the rhythm.”
"I wanted to do well today"
The final lap saw a thrilling duel between Van Empel and Alvarado. It was decided in a sprint. "I tried to force Alvarado into first position before we hit the asphalt. It was a risk to make it a sprint because Alvarado is also fast. Fortunately, it worked out well. I wanted to do well today, and I think Alvarado and I had a great battle.”
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