Wim van Impel also won her third World Cup cyclocross. In the fast course in Tabor, Czech Republic, six other women competed to win the final round. Van Empel didn’t let her get into a sprint and won some lead, ahead of her compatriots Puck Pieterse and Annemarie Worst. Van Impel, who is only 20 years old and still battling Belgium’s Pauls-Souzen Bingwal, had previously won the crossovers at the World Cup in the United States. On January 1, Brabantian will move to Jumbo Visma.
Van Impel said afterwards that the travel delay played some tricks on her. I explained her somewhat defensive driving style to her: “My legs weren’t doing well, I haven’t slept well the past few days. All I could do was follow. Then I attacked on the last slope.”
It was Pieterse who often took the lead thanks to her jump over the girders, with five riders on her course on the last lap: her four compatriots and Hungarian Cata Blanca Fez. At the last crossing over the girders, Peters tried to turn away. Worst and Van Empel managed to catch up, after which the latter took off in the last kilometer and scored her third win. “I never expected this, but the season is still long. There will come a time when I will have to rest.” (ANP)
A version of this article also appeared in October 24, 2022
