Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) scratched the itch of missing cyclocross and showed her form with an impressive third placed finish in the Namur World Cup.
The 22-year-old multi-discipline rider won stage four of the Tour de France Femmes and the World Cross Country Mountain Bike Championships this summer. She also won the under-23 Road Race World Championships in September.
After taking a break from racing, the Fenix-Deceuninck rider returned to the ‘cross field in one of the season’s toughest events at the Citadelle in Namur.
Any doubters about her form were quickly corrected as Pieterse powered up the opening climb and held her position in the leading group on the tough and slippery course.
Her team-mate Ceylin Del Carmen Alvarado eventually rode away to take victory, while the experienced Lucinda Brand (Baloise-Trek Lions) rode through the field to finish second.
For Pieterse, it was her first step towards the cycloross World Championships during the first weekend of February.
“It was tough, it took a bit getting used to and for sure I didn’t do everything perfect,” said Pieterse.
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“I’m happy that I didn’t make any big crashes or stupid mistakes or something. I think Ceylin [Alvarado] was superb today.”
“Lucinda [Brand] came back and I saw that as a cue to start chasing because Lucinda would come close still. Lucinda came from so far back, like a rocket to the front.”
“I’m happy with third,” she added.
The Dutch rider will ride 11 cyclocross races this season, culminating with the World Championships.
Pieterse said that she has only been completing structured training since November, but finished just 34 seconds behind the winner in Namur.
“That is not very long [the training block], but I still hope to reach my level of the past winters,” Pieterse, who started her ‘cross season a month earlier last season, told Het Nieuwsblad.
“Yes, I am starting later than in previous years. That is the result of my activities on the road and mountain bike.”
“Those seasons are getting longer and longer. Still, I am going to do almost as many cyclocross races as last season. I do not think I will ever have ridden so many competitions in such a short period of time, I am also going to ride double weekends for the first time,” she said.
‘I actually want to compete for the win right away’
Pieterse said before her season opener that she was ‘starting to itch’ after watching the previous weeks’ battles between Brand and world champion Fem Van Empel (Visma-Lease a Bike).
After finishing second and third behind Van Empel in the last two cyclocross world championships, the duo are expected to battle it out again for the rainbow jersey.
However, the expected battle between the pair failed to materialise in Namur despite their early exchanges. They were side-by-side going into the first treacherous descent, resulting in Van Empel crashing.
That was the start of a bad day for the world champion who crashed on the notorious off-camber descent in Namur on the opening lap.
The following lap Van Empel looked to gain ground on the leading pack, containing Pieterse, on the same off-camber descent.
However, the world champion crashed out heavily and gingerly got back underway after falling down to 11th – one minute and 18 seconds behind the leaders.
Van Empel battled back to finish sixth and 1-37 down on winner Alvarado and over a minute behind Pieterse.
“In the first part I had a bit to adjust,” said Van Empel. “That cost me a lot of time, but in the end I kept fighting which was the good part of today.
“I lost a lot of time, I never gave up so in the end it was good.”
Van Empel expected Pieterse to come into Namur in good form, while Brand said that her fellow Dutch rider will improve further after becoming used to the intensity of cyclo-cross.
“I’m very curious about her (Pieterse) level,” said Brand ahead of the event in Namur.
“I’m sure she’s ready. But it’s always the first time going so deep can be a shock to your body.
“It’s going to be interesting to see how she reacts to that,” Brand added.
With Alvarado also consistently challenging the top-three in the world it could be a quartet of Dutch riders going for the women’s victories during the remainder of this cyclocross season.
“I saw on television that the level of the top athletes is close together,” Pieterse told Het Nieuwsblad ahead of the event in Namur. “Last year the differences were bigger (when Van Empel dominated – ed).”
“I actually want to compete for the win right away and hope to be on the highest step as often as possible.
“But at the same time I have to wait and see how my condition is, how my preparation will pay off. The World Championships in Liévin in early February are my main goal of the year.”