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Pham van Empel retained his title at the 2024 UCI Cyclocross World Championship with a near-flawless and dominant performance, waving off his rivals in the opening laps.
The Dutch rider used his power and bike skills to open up a gap in the first lap and then gradually increased his margin of victory to over a minute.
Behind her, former cyclocross world champion Lucinda Brand used her experience to pull away from fellow Dutchwoman Pac Pieterse in the final two laps to take second place. Pieters seemed most likely to challenge van Empel, but she stalled on the penultimate lap and she was disappointed when she was passed by Brand.
Van Empel dominated throughout the race, completing the fastest laps each time and winning two Elite World Cyclocross titles at just 21 years old.
As expected, the Dutch rider dominated the podium, with Brando taking second place with a time of 1 minute 20 seconds, earning him his seventh World Cyclocross podium.
Peters is aiming to compete in the mountain biking event at this summer’s Olympics, but fell short of his rivals, finishing third in 1 minute 54 seconds.
It was Van Empel’s 18th win in 20 cyclocross races this season, and she said retaining her world title was “a bonus.”
“All season long I gave my all for this race,” Van Empel said.
“This is the culmination of a very good season for me and I am very happy.
“This is not just a win for me, it’s a win for Team Femme, the whole group around me. It’s so special. It meant so much. Today was a special day. I had to be in the right place at the right time and it went really well today. I’m very happy.”
how it unfolded
Defending champion Van Empel went into the race as the clear favorite having won the European title and a number of other races this winter, but she faced a number of dangerous rivals. Seven Dutch riders lined up on the front row of the grid and were expected to dominate the podium.
Hungarian rider Blanka Kata Vas was considered one of Van Empel’s challengers after finishing second at the World Cup in Hoogerheide last weekend, but she withdrew due to a virus infection. became.
When the race began, former world champion Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado led the way from the asphalt start to the mud. She was soon joined by her favorite companions and Dutch teammates.
Van Empel won on an early muddy section, and while the reigning world champion powered up on a short ramp, Alvarado was forced to dismount and run away, creating a small gap.
Lucinda Brand recognized the imminent danger and led a charge in pursuit of Van Empel, joined by Pac Peters. The race started, but Van Empel was already in front.
The Dutch rider dominated the top six positions in the opening laps, with Belgium’s Laura Verdonschott and Italy’s Sara Casasola leading the rest with a 29-second difference.
Van Empel, a former talented soccer player, used his speed on the long climbs to put pressure on Brand and Pieters, who struggled to maintain pace. Alvarado struggled in the muddy conditions, dropping to fourth place on the opening lap, 20 seconds off the podium.
After an early 11 minutes of fast laps, Van Empel led his two pursuers by 16 seconds, with Alvarado a further 23 seconds behind. She appeared in control at the front.
Peters was runner-up at last year’s Cyclocross World Championships and looked to consolidate his second place position again by pulling away from Brand in the technical section on the second lap.
Leading the charge, 21-year-old Van Empel increased his margin to more than 30 seconds on the second lap, showing a strength that could be important on the road this year.
In the battle for silver, former world champion Brand was in touch with Peters, with just a few seconds separating them.
The 34-year-old Brand used his experience to pass Peters on the penultimate lap to take silver, but both men sat a minute behind the lone leader.
As the bell rang to signal the end of the final lap, Van Empel was firmly in control, 1 minute 03 seconds ahead of Brand, while Pieters was 1 minute 20 seconds behind.
A delighted Van Empel high-fived the crowd and threw a punch in the final few meters, finishing 1 minute 20 seconds behind Brand, while Peters finished a further 34 seconds behind.
With the Netherlands in the ascendancy, Alvarado finished fourth, with Belgium’s Laura Verdonschott returning home in fifth place.
American Clara Honsinger finished eighth in 3 minutes 45 seconds, and Canada’s Magalie Rochette rounded out the top 10 in 3 minutes 52 seconds.
result
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