Fem van Empel is undefeated in eight races this season

World champion Fem van Empel and Puck Pieterse clashed for the first time since the Waterloo round of the World Cup in Saturday’s second round of the X2O Badkamers Trofee at the Urban Cross in Kortrijk, Belgium. Again it was advantage-van Empel as the Dutch rider increased her lead in the series with a win. Van Empel is undefeated this season in eight races.

The Situation Going into Saturday

Although the World Cup and Superprestige series had already four rounds completed, the X2O Badkamers Trofee had only run one event, the Koppenbergcross in Oudenaarde on November 1. Van Empel beat Denise Betsema by 1:50 and therefore that was the standings at the top of the table. Red-hot Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado skipped both rounds

Immediately, Fem and Puck went to the front with Lucinda Brand on Lap 1. Betsema and Annemarie Worst joined the front group before the pits.

Van Empel and Pieterse shook the others off on Lap 2. Van Empel then hit the dirt, allowing Pieterse to finish the second circuit five seconds clear of Brand and six ahead of van Empel.

Van Empel rounded Brand and found Pieterse near the start of Lap 3 of 6. Brand made the junction again and then took the lead before the planks. Brand kept pushing and took a six-second gap going into the latter half of the race.

Pieterse started to lag a little on Lap 4 as Brand continued to fly high. But after the pedestrian bridge, van Empel found Brand and went to the front as the first riders started to get lapped. Van Empel pushed on.

Pieterse had 18 seconds to make up on the penultimate lap. The woman in the rainbow jersey was solo, but Brand had a lot of room in the runner-up spot.

There wasn’t much drama on the bell lap, as van Empel had 20 seconds over Brand and 44 over Pieterse. Betsema kept her hand in the series with fourth place.

The third round is December 16 in Herenthals.

2023-2024 X2O Badkamers Trofee, Round 2, Kortrijk
1) Fem van Empel (The Netherlands/Jumbo-Visma) 48:35
3) Lucinda Brand (The Netherlands/Baloise Trek Lions) +0:25
2) Puck Pieterse (The Netherlands/Fenix-Deceuninck) +1:05