Take4 weeks ago
Fem van Empel signs with FDJ United-Suez through 2027, ending a break that started in mid-December 2025. She won her third straight world cyclocross title in February 2025 and admitted she never really enjoyed it — the results kept coming long after the enjoyment had gone.
Van Empel's break wasn't a crisis she's now overcome, it was a reset she chose. FDJ United-Suez General Manager Stephen Delcourt says the priority is not results but building an environment where she can rediscover pleasure in racing. Van Empel's own line on the return is just as blunt: «Above all, I want to have a lot of fun.» That's a strange thing for a three-time world champion to have to say out loud.
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