"I hope to win the yellow jersey in the future" - Mountain bike queen Pieterse confirms her plans to conquer the road

We know Puck Pieterse as one of the three best cyclocrossers, we also know her as a dominant force on mountain bike. And gradually, it's becoming clear that the 23-year-old has a bright future ahead also on road. Her qualities in one-day races have been known for a long time, but Pieterse wants to win everything. And that list includes also the Tour de France Femmes.

"I'm used to racing every weekend from cyclo-cross. It was not really difficult to get focused before every race," explains Pieterse in an interview with Domestique. "I have a feeling that you only come out stronger because these races are so good trainings as well. You train your endurance, you train your sprints, you train everything."

There's also the tactical advantage of racing as often as Pieterse does. "The more you race, the more race situations you get to know, and the easier you can maybe read how a race is unfolding," Pieterse adds.

As for the Tour de France Femmes, the Dutchwoman doesn't reveal her cards yet. "We have not really had a chat about it with the team, actually, so I don't know exactly what my role will be. Last year proved that I can win a stage. I think for this year, it will be mainly stage-focused as well."

And while GC is not her primary goal, Pieterse who was 11th last year doesn't plan to give up easily. "I won't try to actively lose time to get in a break the next day or something. I'll just keep riding, I think, with the GC contender to see where I end up. But I don't think GC is a goal for this year [2025] already."

Pieterse believes there is a better GC card at Fenix-Deceuninck: "It would just be super cool to maybe be able to follow longer on the climbing stages and help her [Rooijakkers] towards maybe another podium or even better," Pieterse says.

Even though she won't focus on general classification in 2025, the ultimate goal - to stand on the podium of Tour de France Femmes - remains the same. "We have to see this year how the preparation on the longer climbs will work out in the race, and afterwards decide if a GC would be an option. But of course, now, after how last year went, I hope to win the yellow jersey in the future."