"I just didn't have the legs anymore": Puck Pieterse and Shirin Van Anrooij reflect on a brutal Strade Bianche Donne

The iconic white gravel roads of Tuscany always deliver a demanding and exhausting race, and this year's Strade Bianche Donne was no exception. Dutch star Puck Pieterse fought hard for a podium spot before running out of energy on the infamous Via Santa Caterina climb, ultimately finishing sixth in Siena. Meanwhile, her compatriot Shirin van Anrooij battled through the demanding finale to secure ninth place, putting recent bad luck behind her as she builds toward the rest of the spring classics.

Puck Pieterse was a key player deep into the finale, even riding at the front of the race alongside Kasia Niewiadoma and Elisa Longo Borghini before a chasing group managed to reconnect on the way to Siena. In post-race comments, she acknowledged the physical toll the day took on the entire peloton. "It was hard, but that was true for everyone," she stated.

Analyzing how the race unfolded, Pieterse pointed to the aggressive tactics and incidents that quickly thinned out the main group. "The race fell into place after a big crash. After that, Vollering had a flat tire. FDJ United - SUEZ also rode so hard from the beginning of the race that not many riders were left," Pieterse explained.

Despite her strong positioning throughout the day, the final kilometers simply proved to be too much. "In the last five kilometers I tried to wait for the final climb, but I just didn't have the legs anymore."

Pieterse was not the only Dutch rider to secure a strong result; Marianne Vos crossed the line in seventh, followed closely by Shirin van Anrooij in ninth. For Van Anrooij, the end of the race was purely about pushing through the pain.

"In the finale, it was a bit of surviving for me," Van Anrooij admitted in her post-race interview. However, she remains highly optimistic about her trajectory. "I think I can continue to build from here to hopefully compete at the very front again in the other classics."

Despite the suffering, she was quick to praise the unique magic of racing on the Tuscan gravel. "This is one of the most beautiful races of all," she said. "The weather was also super nice. It is always special again. When I stand at the start here, I have nerves, but I am also really looking forward to it. You have to be there right from the start in this race. I was very motivated."

For Van Anrooij, the top-ten finish provided a much-needed confidence boost after a frustrating start to her opening weekend in Belgium.

"I knew that my form was basically good, but in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad I had some bad luck with a flat tire. Then you are still left with a lot of question marks. I am glad that I just had a good feeling again today. The period of the Tour of Flanders is the most important for me this spring. Hopefully, there will be a good peak from Flanders up to and including the Ardennes."