Fem van Empel: Cyclo-cross Champion Pauses Career

December 21, 2025 by Aiko Tanaka

Cyclo-cross world champion Fem van Empel puts career on hold: “At the moment, both the sense and the fun are lacking” HLN
Fem van Empel puts her career on hold indefinitely and leaves Visma-Lease a Bike: “The motivation and fun is gone” Newspaper
“A surprise? Not for us”: Richard Plugge saw up close how Van Empel made a “difficult but right choice” sporza
‘Sometimes you laugh, but sometimes you also think: I want to respond’; Lucinda Brand and Puck Pieterse about news Fem van Empel In the Leader’s jersey
In cyclo-cross, everyone sympathizes with Fem van Empel: ‘I especially hope that she will be happy’ Brabants Dagblad

Aiko Tanaka is a combat sports journalist and general sports reporter at Archysport. A former competitive judoka who represented Japan at the Asian Games, Aiko brings firsthand athletic experience to her coverage of judo, martial arts, and Olympic sports. Beyond combat sports, Aiko covers breaking sports news, major international events, and the stories that cut across disciplines — from doping scandals to governance issues to the business side of global sport. She is passionate about elevating the profile of underrepresented sports and athletes.