Puck Pieterse is well-known for her achievements on the cyclocross bike, winning nine races including the U23 European title this winter, so it’s perhaps no surprise that the rising star has chosen Strade Bianche to make her Women’s WorldTour debut on Saturday.
The 20-year-old has come through the ranks with Fenix-Deceuninck and is already one of the top riders on the cyclocross scene with four UCI World Cup wins plus silver at the Hoogerheide Worlds during the past season.
The focus on cyclocross so far in her career has meant a very limited road calendar, with last weekend’s Omloop van het Hageland her only outing as a pro. Now, the gravel roads of Strade Bianche lie in wait for the Dutchwoman.
Ahead of the race, Pieterse uploaded a video of the team’s Thursday recon of the Tuscan route. The squad, which also includes cyclocrosser Yara Kastelijn and Briton Sophie Wright, were met with wet, grim conditions during the ride, with the camera and riders alike spattered with mud.
Pieterse took to the course with a camera mounted on her chest, giving viewers a fresh insight into what it’s like to ride on the famous white roads. Along the way, she commented that the gravel is “still better than the Belgian roads” and exchanged tips with her teammates, saying she would “try not to cry on those climbs here”.
Pieterse also jokingly pointed out a point where the Fenix-Deceuninck squad should attack en masse during Saturday’s race. The video rounded off with Pieterse pulling a wheelie as the team rode through Siena, while police officers warned the riders about their speed in the city – a difficulty they won’t encounter this weekend.
Pieterse concluded the recon with a joke: “Two days before Yara Kastelijn wins Strade Bianche, I come second, and the rest of the team all come third.”
The race is the first top-level outing of the season for the new-look Fenix-Deceuninck team, which moved up to the Women’s WorldTour over the winter and switched racing identity from Plantur-Pura.
They will be doing battle with the likes of defending champion Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx), Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar), and Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (AG Insurance-Soudal-QuickStep) on the 136km course this weekend.
Luckily for the riders taking part, the weather outlook for the races is better than it was during the course recons – it’s set to be cloudy with temperatures of around 14°C and little chance of rain.
To find out how to watch the action at both the men’s and women’s races this Saturday, head over to our comprehensive streaming guide – How to watch Strade Bianche.