After eight months away from cyclocross, Van Empel, who took a mental break last March, made her comeback in Ruddervoorde. The three-time world champion had promised herself to enjoy wearing the rainbow jersey and race with a smile. She succeeded in doing just that, she said afterwards.

"It’s nice to be back. The first race is always tough, but I really enjoyed it", Van Empel said. "Overall, it went quite okay. My form isn’t exactly where I want it to be yet, but I’ve trained well in recent weeks. Maybe fatigue played a role today."

Van Empel believes the rest period has done her good. "Not racing on the road hasn’t really affected my form. Over the past few months, I’ve found a lot of peace of mind, and that means a lot to me."