Puck Pieterse is one of the absolute biggest talents in pro cycling, and in the women's field she is a top level winner in mountain biking, cyclocross and on the road. In 2024 she broke through the road scene, and a Tour de France Femmes victory against Demi Vollering and Katarzyna Niewiadoma was a terrific display of what she's capable of. After the cyclocross season is done, the Fenix-Deceuninck rider will aim very high during the spring in different kinds of classics.
“The road team is also on a training camp where we are, so there will be mixed training sessions," Pieterse shared with Wielerflits. She is currently training in Spain but will not race the Benidorm World Cup. Thus far, she has also won the sandy course in Koksijde earlier in January, and atfer she is done with cyclocross for the winter, she will focus on the spring classics on the road where she performed stupendously last year, but lacked the big win..
“A bit like last year, but with more focus on the races that are later. From Dwars door Vlaanderen onwards, the focus will be on that. Last year I stopped after the Tour of Flanders, but I will now continue the spring until and including Liège. It is a very intensive month towards Liège, so you have to not overdo it.”
Both cobbled classics and Ardennes will have Pieterse certain to be a top favourite, and it is hard to exclude the possibility of her winning one. The 22-year old's growth in the sport is immense, and if she evolves over the 2024 season, she can be next to the likes of Lotte Kopecky as well throughout the races that will be providing fireworks over the coming months.
Recently Puck Pieterse won the Dutch national championships and has been having a steady growth and strong winter thus far. She is content with it, but what will really dictate the success of her cyclocross season will be the World Championships. “I think everyone would like to win everything, of course. In that respect it is not how I wanted it, but I am satisfied with how it has gone so far. I think the level is very high.