Nacht van Woerden: Fem van Empel takes comeback victory in second race of the season
Aniek van Alphen second, Inge van der Heijden third in Woerden
Cyclo-cross world champion Fem van Empel (Visma-Lease a Bike) sprinted to victory in the Nacht van Woerden race on Tuesday evening, beating Aniek van Alphen (Seven Racing) to the line.
The pair had been engaged in a tense battle in Woerden, a standalone race that's run in the evening and low light, after breaking away early with Inge van der Heijden (Crelan-Corendon).
A close battle ensued, with Van Empel and Van Alphen going away together on the final lap, and the world champion pulled away from her rival in the sprint to the line. Van der Heijden came home third.
This marks Van Empel's first win of the 2025-26 season after starting her campaign at the weekend, and her first since taking a hiatus from racing on mental health grounds. It also takes her career CX victory tally to 49, with the half-century mark in sight.
"It feels really great to take the win here," she said. "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."
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Matilda is an NCTJ-qualified journalist based in the UK who joined Cyclingnews in March 2025. Prior to that, she worked as the Racing News Editor at GCN, and extensively as a freelancer contributing to Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly, Velo, Rouleur, Escape Collective, Red Bull and more. She has reported on the ground at all of the biggest events on the calendar, including the men's and women's Tours de France, the Giro d'Italia, the Vuelta a Espana, the Spring Classics and the World Championships. She has particular experience and expertise in women's cycling, and women's sport in general. She is a graduate of modern languages and sports journalism.
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