Van Empel fights her way back to the win in Baal
Fem van Empel has won the X2O Badkamers Trofee race in Baal for the third year in a row. After a crash in the opening lap, the Brabant native had to chase for the entire race. In the ultimate finale, the world champion finally managed to pass Lucinda Brand.
Traditionally, the GP Sven Nys in Baal is on the calendar on New Year's Day. Van Empel started the first race of 2025 alertly, but after a small crash on the opening lap, the world champion had to chase Brand and Puck Pieterse.
In the subsequent laps, Van Empel systematically worked her way to the front. On the penultimate lap, the world champion passed Pieterse. Only in the ultimate closing stages, the 22-year-old Dutchwoman managed to close the gap to Brand. Van Empel eventually beat her compatriot after an exciting sprint.
"One of the most beautiful duels I rode"
“This was one of the most beautiful duels I rode”, Van Empel said afterwards. “During the first lap, I had a small slip after choosing the wrong track. I tried to stay calm, but at that point the belief in a win was rather small. At one point I trailed by half a minute, but I kept fighting for it.”
“I noticed that I got closer and closer to Brand in the final lap”, Van Empel continued. “I was able to close the gap after the bars, which made me fully believe in the victory again. After that it was all out until the finish line. I'm very happy to have won the first race of the new year.”
