“It feels really great to take the win here,” said the 23-year-old rider afterwards. “It’s always special to race here, and to finish it off with a victory makes it even better. I really enjoyed being out there, and it was a beautiful battle.”

In the Dutch evening cyclocross race, Van Empel got off to a flying start. The 23-year-old was the first to hit the field and immediately put pressure on her rivals with a high pace, which allowed her to break away together with Van Alphen and Inge van der Heijden.

The riders proved evenly matched in the following laps, and Van Empel and Van Alphen entered the final lap side by side. The rider from the yellow-and-black squad continued to push the pace, positioning herself perfectly for the sprint. In the final meters, Van Empel showed her strength and powered to her first victory of the season.