"Hard work is rewarded" - Inge van der Heijden on her first World Cup podium of this winter

Puck Pieterse, Inge van der Heijden and Zoe Bäckstedt stepped onto the podium in Zonhoven World Cup. The two, who were also on the podium in Gullegem yesterday, were lucky that Lucinda Brand dropped out.

"I really surprised myself, especially how I felt after yesterday," she refers to her third place in Gullegem in an interview for WielerFlits. "During the reconnaissance I had bad legs, but during the race I felt strong everywhere. I took it easy on the descents, I didn't take any risks there, but uphill I went full throttle. I really surprised myself here."

"Hard work is rewarded," continues the Dutch lady of Crelan-Corendon. "And I hope to be able to maintain this form. Today was a great day. At first I thought I had put all my energy down yesterday, which really felt like an attack on my body. But Zonhoven always does something with me, it's such a cool competition. Being here on the podium really feels good to me."