"I wanted to get onto Kopecky's wheel, but I didn't quite dare to": Frustrated Puck Pieterse reflects on missed sprint opportunity at Milano-San Remo

After fighting her way into the decisive lead group at the women's Milano-Sanremo Women, Puck Pieterse was left bitterly disappointed to finish just off the podium. The Fenix-Premier Tech rider was visibly frustrated after crossing the line in fourth place. She was outsprinted by winner Lotte Kopecky, Noemi Rüegg and Eleonora Camilla Gasparrini.

Making the final selection in a Monument is a massive achievement, but for a fierce competitor like Pieterse, missing out on the podium was a tough pill to swallow. Her immediate reaction after the finish line involved a fair bit of swearing.

“I won't repeat what I said, but I really would have liked to ride a better sprint here,” Pieterse admitted to the press once she had a moment to cool down.

Despite her frustration, the young Dutch star was realistic about her chances in a flat-out drag race to the line against established sprinters and classics specialists like Lotte Kopecky and Noemi Rüegg. “Yes, I knew it would be tough. I was hoping Rüegg would be tired, but she ended up just having a strong sprint. That's a shame.”

When breaking down the final frantic meters on the Via Roma, Pieterse wasn't entirely sure where things went wrong, but she quickly identified a few split-second decisions that might have cost her a better result.

“I wanted to get onto Kopecky's wheel, but I didn't quite dare to," she explained. "I knew Rüegg's wheel would be good too. In hindsight, maybe I should have started the sprint from second position, but I first need to watch the footage to see what I did right and wrong.”

Like Kim Le Court-Pienaar, Pieterse was right at the front of the race when the massive pileup occurred on the blind corner of the Cipressa descent. The Fenix-Premier Tech rider expressed deep concern for Kasia Niewiadoma while revealing just how close she came to going down herself.

"I hope Kasia is okay. It really didn't look good," Pieterse said, reflecting on the chaos. "I almost crashed just before that myself, but after that, I was extra focused."