Van Empel, who soloed to victory yesterday in Herentals, had a difficult start in Namur. In the first lap she slipped twice on the slippery course, forcing her to chase. In the laps that followed, Van Empel gave everything, but, partly due to bad luck, she could no longer play a role. The cyclocross world champion eventually fought her way to seventh place.

“At the recon it went pretty well, and so I was very confident,” Van Empel looks back. “I was way too eager on the first lap, so I made some mistakes and lost a lot of time. I soon knew I wasn't going to compete for the prizes anymore, but I gave everything in the rounds that followed, and I look back on that with a good feeling. My condition is good, and fortunately I didn't sustain any damage from the crashes. I'm already looking forward to the upcoming crosses.”