Career
He is known as a time-trial specialist. Van Emden started racing in 2005. His debut in a Grand Tour came in 2009, when he took part in the Giro d"Italia.
Van Emden made international headlines when he proposed to his girlfriend during a time-trial stage of the 2014 Giro d"Italia.
After she accepted, he finished the stage as 120th out of 156. In 2015, Van Emden finished second in the International Telephone And Telegraph of the Tour of California, sitting in the hot seat all day before being beaten by Peter Sagan.
Two months later, van Emden participated in his first Tour de France. He became fifth in the opening time-trial that took place in his home country.