World champion Fem van Empel will not line up for this weekend’s European cyclocross championships in Belgium. The Dutch rider has opted to focus on recovery and training after struggling to find form in recent races, her team Visma – Lease a Bike confirmed Wednesday.
Van Empel’s withdrawal follows a difficult weekend on the Koppenberg, where she pulled out of Saturday’s race after just half a lap and did not start in Lokeren the next day.
“Fem is not ready to be competitive and will complete a training block in Spain,” Visma – Lease a Bike said in a statement. The team added that she is still feeling the effects of an earlier illness and is taking time to rebuild before returning to racing.
The 21-year-old world champion had been expected to defend her European title, but her focus now shifts to regaining top condition ahead of the next block of world cup events.
Nys to defend
One person that will definitely be there is Lidl – Trek’s Thibau Nys. After a win at the Koppenberg ‘cross, he had a nightmare race on Sunday.
Fem van Empel will not participate in the European Cyclocross Championships in Middelkerke this weekend.
She is currently not fit enough to compete and will spend the coming period training in Spain. pic.twitter.com/1xBH03WJCZ
— Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women (@visma_lab_women) November 5, 2025
He had a boatload of mechanical issues derailed his chances and left him visibly frustrated.
“Everything that could go wrong today, went wrong,” Nys told Sporza. “I had the legs I wanted—I felt really good. I missed my start a bit, but I moved up quickly. Then I switched to a lighter tread, rode into a pit right after the pit zone, and my shifters dropped down. It was terrible to steer like that.”
The good news for Nys–who is poised to be one of only a few (the other being Wout van Aert) who could possibly challenge Mathieu van der Poel this season, is the form is there.
“I’m satisfied with the feeling. I’d recovered well from yesterday, and I had a lot of punch in the first half of the race,” he said.
The 2025 European cyclocross championships are on Saturday and Sunday. Check back here on Canadian Cycling Magazine to see who snags the white and blue champs jerseys.
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