X²O Badkamers Trophy 2024 – 6 – HAMME [FULL RACE] (ladies)

January 27, 2023

X²O Badkamers Trophy 2024 WE 🇧🇪 – Trofee Hamme – Flandriencross Hamme, Belgium

The X²O Badkamers Trofee is one of four major, season-long cyclocross series. With its first edition dating back to 1987 it’s the second-oldest of Europe’s series. The X²O Badkamers Trofee is unique in the world of cyclocross, as unlike other series that award points after every race, the X²O Badkamers Trofee is effectively a season-long stage race, with the overall winner being the fastest over all of the eight races across the season. That’s not always been the case though, prior to switching over to this new system in the 2012/13 season the series ran on points, just like the other series. If a rider misses or does not finish at a round, it’s still technically possible for them to win as ‘non-finishers’. Lapped riders and non-starters are given the winner’s time, plus 5 minutes. Miss too many rounds, however, and these 5 minute-long deficits soon add up and create an insurmountable gap. For that reason, this is a series that riders often compete in throughout the season, rather than picking and choosing individual rounds. Riders at the X²O Badkamers Trofee are encouraged to have a fast start, not only because it will give them an advantage in the race, but the ‘Quick Start’ classification means that the first rider across the start/finish line after the first lap gets a 15-second bonus for their final overall time, with 10 seconds and 5 seconds going to second and third across the line, respectively. These time bonuses could prove to be vital in the outcome of the overall standings, especially if this year’s series is closely contested.

Fem van Empel (Visma-Lease a Bike) claimed her 16th victory of the season at the X2O Trofee Hamme-Flandriencross after attacking off the front right from the start in the opening lap and never being seen again by the rest of the field.

The World Champion seemingly had things all but wrapped up after doubling her 11-second lead on lap one to 25 seconds by the time the next lap was completed and this lead would only increase past the minute mark as the six laps ticked by.

“I felt very good today and I am very happy with that,” said Van Empel immediately after the race. “I just wanted to ride at my own pace. This is a treacherous circuit, with all those tracks, so it is an advantage if you can ride alone.

“Halfway through the race, I heard the speaker announce the time difference. From then on it was just a matter of keeping a good pace.”

Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions) and Manon Bakker (Crelan-Corendon) were the best of the rest as the cyclocross world returned to the Belgian mud after last week’s sunny and sandy round in Benidorm, but neither could live with Van Empel throughout the hour or so of racing.

Saturday’s race was Van Empel’s penultimate day in the World Champion’s jersey before she heads to Tabor next week in the orange of the Netherlands to try and defend her crown.

Van Empel will look to win the final World Cup of the season at tomorrow’s race in Hoogerheide which should serve as a much better preview of the World Championships with other top favourites Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Alpecin-Deceuninck) also on the start list.

“At the end, I was already thinking about tomorrow’s race. That one is very tough,” said Van Empel.

Pieterse won both the races Van Empel missed from her perfect record after ending her unbeaten streak in Gavere, with the 21-year-olds – who were first and second at last year’s Worlds – looking set for another epic showdown in both Hoogerheide and Tabor.

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