Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech) won a thrilling round of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup in Maasmechelen, holding off the pressure from behind to cross the line solo after six laps of all-out racing.
The Dutch racer finished 10 seconds ahead of teammate Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, who put in a blistering effort to almost chase down Pieterse, with Amandine Fouquenet (Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw) finishing third after an untimely bike change put her out of contention.
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“I saw [Fouquenet] had a puncture and then I knew it was not too far to the pit zone, so I knew she would be back quick,” said Pieterse, explaining her winning move. “But once I saw it, I directly passed her and made my attack – that’s also racing, unfortunately, but she was super strong again, especially on this track, which is quite technical, so I was impressed.”
How it unfolded
Pieterse was one of the top performers right from the start in Saturday’s race, latching onto the early high pace of Fouquenet and her teammate Leonie Bentveld, with the young Pauwels Sauzen pair immediately applying the pressure in the dry, sunny weather.
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The writing was on the wall for Brand after a small crash in the sand on lap two, when she popped out of a rut, with Pieterse and Fouquenet already establishing themselves as the strongest two riders in the race.
Despite the duo’s lead ebbing and flowing, the orange jersey of Pieterse was constant right the way through the 47 and a half minutes of racing, and ultimately it was the puncture which ruined the French rider’s chances, but the way she managed to close the gap once more when she had changed bikes is a great sign ahead of Worlds.
Alvarado admitted post-race that she could have caught her teammate, but that she was not going to do that given the threat of Fouquenet, however, this also means she is rising in form ahead of the season’s main event in Hulst next weekend.
With Brand finishing so low – by her incredibly standards – the door is wide open to another thriller for the rainbow jersey.
Results
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