Van Empel now feels ready to line up again in cyclocross. “What I enjoy the most is the constant variety. No race is ever the same: everything is constantly changing. That makes it both challenging and beautiful. You have to be very flexible, switch quickly, and keep making decisions throughout the race. In cyclocross, I have more control over how the race unfolds, and that really suits me.”
The past few months were also a time of recovery and self-discovery. Physical problems had taken their toll, leaving Van Empel mentally drained as well. She explains that for a long time she mostly only felt like a rider: “I didn’t really know who I was outside of racing anymore.” With the help of a mental coach, medical staff and team management of Team Visma | Lease a Bike, she has learned to reconnect with herself. During this period, she rediscovered the joy of cycling, for example during mountain bike rides with steep descents and long road rides that gave her a new perspective on The Netherlands. But she also found joy in activities outside of cycling.