Reigning women's world cyclocross champion Fem van Empel says that she will not reduce her cyclocross calendar to boost her road ambitions.
The 22-year-old took a 10th cyclocross win of the season at the World Cup round in Benidorm on Sunday, beating Lucinda Brand to victory after a tense and thrilling race on the Costa Blanca.
After the UCI Cyclocross World Championships in Liévin in two weeks, the Dutch rider will turn her attention to the road. She'll start her campaign at the women's Milan-San Remo Donne on March 22, where she'll be working for Marianne Vos.
"I will ride Milan-San Remo in a serving role," Van Empel told Sporza. "Depending on my form, we will see where I will be at the start after that.
"The spring Classics suit my profile best. But I wonder whether it is realistic to win there in the short term. Then everything would really have to go well."
With Wout Van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel both riding reduced cyclocross campaigns this season to suit their road ambitions, questions have been asked if Van Empel – only on her third season as part of the elites – will do likewise in the future.
"That is not yet the case," she insisted. "I will continue to 'cross, as I did this season, so that I can train for the road in between. I will certainly not cut back on my cyclocross calendar, because I think 'cross is far too beautiful."
Like Van Aert and Van der Poel, Van Empel is another prodigy of the sport, with two world titles under her belt already and another in her sights. Expectations are high, but then again, they always have been.
"I had to deal with pressure and expectations from outside at a young age," she said. "I didn't know how to deal with that. Now I'm trying to master that better and better. But that is not always easy."
Van Empel isn't infallible, though. Last season, she dominated women's cyclocross with 19 wins from 21 starts. This season, she has been beaten seven times in 17 starts, and was once again pushed in Benidorm by the experienced former world champion Brand.
A large group of 11 riders came into the final lap together with Brand driving the pace on the fast course. However, Van Empel came out from behind her rival on the barriers section as both dismounted and ran.
As the pair remounted together, Van Empel had the power to take the lead and hold off her rival on the dash for the line, taking her third consecutive win in Benidorm.
"The way I win today is also special and also shows my fight. I am very satisfied with my season and certainly with this victory. Every year it's exciting here, it's an amazing race," she said.
"Lucinda kept the door closed well. She didn't leave any space, so the planks were actually one of the last possibilities to find a gap. It was just full throttle on that plank and then a sprint for the asphalt."
Van Empel added that she was always in control during the race, even though the majority of the six-lap event saw a large group of favourites at the front.
"At the start, I was focused, and I was in first or second position the whole race. I was in control," she said.
Van Empel has structured her cyclocross season differently this campaign by incorporating road training camps. She has also taken World Cup wins at Antwerp, Gavere, and Besančon, alongside the UEC European Championships, Koppenbergcross, and Exact Cross races in Beringen and Kortrijk.
"I can be very satisfied with my winter for the time being," she said. "I won all the crosses I had set my sights on. For the rest, I only didn't finish on the podium once [in Namur – Ed.]. I had a lot of bad luck then.
"If you leave that 'cross out of the equation, I'm riding a very good season so far. I don't worry anymore when I'm at the start of a cross. I try to rely on my own strength, that gives me confidence."
