The big three? four? five? In the field, Wim van Empel rides on a lone spike

They stand together in the front row on a Saturday afternoon, their eyes focused on the beam of red lights that could turn green at any moment. Book Bitters bows deeply, her nose almost touching the trunk. Sherine Van Anerweg keeps her body a little less curvy. Fem van Empel sits much straighter.

In the De Schorre entertainment district between Antwerp and Brussels – the center of dancing for many summer weekends when the Tomorrowland stages are around – the big three were reunited in women’s cyclo-cross on this clear day. Last season, the young talents – all born in 2002 – stormed the swampy meadows. They tag each other on the stages. Van Empel took the world title in Hoogerheide, just ahead of Pieterse. Van Anerweg was able to wear the rainbow jersey as a promise. He left the existing system behind him.

This year they gather less often on the podium. The trio is no longer limited to fooling around in the mud. Van Empel and Van Anrooij have ambitions down the road, with the latter already victorious in the Tour of the Future. Pieterse was the first Dutch woman to win a Mountain Bike World Cup and dreams of Olympic gold in Paris. They now regularly skip matches on the field. The three met only in mid-October in Waterloo, United States, until Saturday’s confrontation in Boom.

The ruling power provides more resistance

What is also different is that the previous ruling authority is showing more resistance. Céline del Carmen Alvarado and Lucinda Brand, both former world champions, beat Pieterse in recent weeks, who returned after difficult months on the mountain bike. New descriptions have already emerged with caution: the Big Four, and even the Big Five.

When the light turns green, Van Empel fails to immediately click her shoe into the pedal and loses a few positions. It slides down one of the many loops that riders have to climb up and down the steep slopes around the site. Peters will be gone soon. Van Anerweg falls into the crowd of lesser gods. After a break due to fatigue and the training camp in Spain, she returned for the first time since October. There was no doubt about the presence of the top four or five up front. Alvarado called in sick. The brand selected Sunday’s World Cup competition in France.

How do the three feel about being together again? Pieterse: “It’s nice to be involved again. But Celine and Lucinda certainly didn’t sit still. That’s good for the level of the cross. You just make each other better. Van Empel: “I try not to look too much at the competition. I do everything I can to make sure I start off in the best way possible. Van Anerweg: “Of course you get something out of it: immediately there are a lot of expectations. But it also creates some extra pressure and extra nerves.

Sovereign and flawless in control

Already in the second round on the sides of the arena according to Bohm’s model, correlations become visible. Van Empel overtakes Pieterse on the outside turn and when her only significant opponent falls shortly afterwards, she leads sovereignly and flawlessly to 1.04 at the finish. Van Anerweg comes in ninth place with a time of 2.55. The fall prevented him from trying to join a group of pursuers. The world champion shows that the big three are still a household name from last season. Nine games, nine wins. Cyclocross is a one-woman show when Van Empel first shows up.

She criticizes herself afterward. “I wasn’t sharp enough at first.” I made clumsy mistakes. It was nice to have a little wake-up call. How do you explain its superiority? “I work hard for it.” It’s training, rest, watching your diet, and taking good care of yourself. I think about everything. As a result, I’m now a little more confident to begin with.

Others realize there is work to be done. Pieterse: “When I passed her very quickly after one lap, I knew she was the strongest today. Fem rides very well, she really flies. In the summer I was better at mountain biking, and now she is the best in the field. I just have to keep doing my job Van Anerweg: “Wim really stands out.” She rides easily. I still lacked the ability to explode myself, and I could only ride in one step. I still have to find my rhythm.

The next day, she fought her way from the backfield to fifth place during the World Cup race in Flamanville, where her reliable rivals were missing. Lucinda Brand wins for the second time this season. With these results, Van Empel is still pushing hard in the top three.