Fem van Empel (born 3 September 2002) is a Dutch professional racing cyclist.[4][5] In January 2021, she won the women's under-23 race at the 2021 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships.[6][7] During the 2022–2023 season she won the women's elite race at the World Championships and the European Cyclo-cross Championships. On 22 January 2023, she secured overall victory at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup (2022–23). On 16 Feb 2023 at Brussels, Fem clinched the X20 Badkamers Trophy.[8] The previous week, her first race in the World Champions jersey, competing in the X20 Badkamers at Lille she finished 1st doing a "Pidcock" (posing as Superwoman) across the finish line.[9] In the cyclo cross season 2023 to 2024 Fem Van Empel was first in her first eleven races. Having finished the previous season with five successive firsts, it brought her run of first places in top level Cyclocross to sixteen.[10] Fem Van Empel retained her UCI World Championship at Tábor on 3 February 2024. One respected commentator (Marty McCrossan) noted he had "run out of superlatives to describe Fems phenomenal talent", calling her "The Golden Girl of Cyclocross". Another (Ian Field) described her performance as " pretty much perfection" .[11] "Velo" noted that "her 18th victory out of what has been (so far) a 20-race season" is "a staggering success rate " [12].Fem completed her 2023 to 2024 season with a win to take the X²O Badkamers Trophy at Lille on 11 Feb. This took her number of wins for the season to 19 from 21 races. [13] At the end of season 2023 to 2024 Fems' career total number of Elite level Cyclo-cross race wins was 37. [14] [15] [16]

Fem van Empel
Van Empel on the podium at the 2022 European Cyclo-cross Championships
Personal information
NicknameSuperFem [1][2] Fem Van De Poel[3]
Born (2002-09-03) 3 September 2002 (age 22)
's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Team information
Current teamTeam Jumbo–Visma
DisciplineCyclo-cross & Road
RoleRider
Amateur team
2021WV Schijndel
Professional teams
2021–2022Pauwels Sauzen–Bingoal
2023Team Jumbo–Visma
Major wins
Cyclo-cross
World Championships (2023, 2024)
European Championships (2022, 2023, 2024)
World Cup (2022–23)
14 individual wins (2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24)
X²O Badkamers Trophy (2022–23, 2023–24)
Medal record
Representing the  Netherlands
Women's cyclo-cross
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2024 Tábor Elite
Gold medal – first place 2023 Hoogerheide Elite
Gold medal – first place 2023 Hoogerheide Team relay
Gold medal – first place 2021 Ostend Under-23
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Fayetteville Under-23
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2024 Pontevedra Elite
Gold medal – first place 2023 Pontchâteau Elite
Gold medal – first place 2022 Namur Elite
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Wijster Under-23
Women's road bicycle racing
European Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Anadia Under-23 road race
Women's gravel bicycle racing
European Championships
Silver medal – second place 2023 Oud-Heverlee Elite

Major results

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Cyclo-cross

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2019–2020
3rd National Junior Championships
5th UCI World Junior Championships
2020–2021
1st   UCI World Under-23 Championships
UCI World Cup
4th Dendermonde
2021–2022
1st   National Under-23 Championships
UCI World Cup
1st Val di Sole
1st Flamanville
4th Besançon
4th Rucphen
4th Namur
4th Hoogerheide
5th Zonhoven
5th Hulst
Superprestige
2nd Heusden-Zolder
Ethias Cross
2nd Lokeren
3rd   UCI World Under-23 Championships
3rd   UEC European Under-23 Championships
2022–2023
1st   UCI World Championships
1st   UEC European Championships
1st   Overall UCI World Cup
1st Waterloo
1st Fayetteville
1st Tábor
1st Maasmechelen
1st Antwerpen
1st Dublin
1st Benidorm
2nd Beekse Bergen
2nd Overijse
2nd Hulst
3rd Zonhoven
1st Overall X²O Badkamers Trophy
1st Koppenberg
1st Baal
1st Hamme
1st Lille
1st Brussels
2nd Koksijde
Exact Cross
1st Kruibeke
1st Beringen
2nd Meulebeke
3rd National Championships
2023–2024
1st   UCI World Championships
1st   UEC European Championships
1st Overall X²O Badkamers Trophy
1st Koppenberg
1st Kortrijk
1st Herentals
1st Baal
1st Koksijde
1st Hamme
1st Lille
4th Overall UCI World Cup
1st Waterloo
1st Maasmechelen
1st Antwerpen
1st Benidorm
1st Hoogerheide
2nd Gavere
4th Hulst
Superprestige
1st Overijse
1st Boom
1st Heusden-Zolder
Exact Cross
1st Beringen
1st Woerden
2024–2025
1st   UEC European Championships
X²O Badkamers Trophy
1st Koppenberg
Exact Cross
1st Beringen

Gravel

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2023
1st   National Championships
2nd   UEC European Championships

Mountain bike

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2019
3rd Cross-country, National Junior Championships
2020
2nd Cross-country, National Junior Championships
3rd   Eliminator, UCI World Championships
2021
2nd   Eliminator, UEC European Championships
2022
1st   Cross-country, National Under-23 Championships
2nd   Cross-country, UEC European Under-23 Championships

Road

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References

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  1. ^ "- YouTube". YouTube.
  2. ^ "Superwoman: Fem van Empel wins first race in the rainbow jersey". 12 February 2023.
  3. ^ "Discovery+".
  4. ^ "Meet the 18-year-old cyclocross sensation who's taking it to the world's best". Cycling Tips. 21 January 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  5. ^ "18-year-old Fem van Empel signs professional contract with Pauwels Sauces: 'The youngest cyclocross topper since Marianne Vos in 2004'". Netherlands News Live. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  6. ^ "Fem van Empel takes U23 world cyclocross title". Velo News. 31 January 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  7. ^ "Fem van Empel wint goud op WK veldrijden voor beloften vrouwen". Wielerflits. 31 January 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  8. ^ "GCN+ | Cycling As You've Never Seen It". plus.globalcyclingnetwork.com. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  9. ^ "GCN+ | Cycling As You've Never Seen It". plus.globalcyclingnetwork.com. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  10. ^ "Fem van Empel - Cyclocross". Cyclocross24.com. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  11. ^ "Discovery+".
  12. ^ "Fem van Empel Dominates on Muddy World Cyclocross Champs Course in Tábor". 3 February 2024.
  13. ^ "Van Empel rounds off great cyclocross season with victory in Lille".
  14. ^ "Fem van Empel - Cyclocross".
  15. ^ "Fem van Empel - Cyclocross".
  16. ^ "Fem van Empel - Cyclocross".
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