"I got the most out of it" - Puck Pieterse sees the positives in World Championship bronze

Puck Pieterse's wait for a senior world title goes on. At the 2025 Cyclocross World Championships in Lievin, the 22-year-old Dutch star took her third worlds podium in a row, behind Fem van Empel and Lucinda Brand.

For much of the race, Pieterse was right in the mix with Brand and Van Empel, however couldn't match the relentlessly attacking pace from her two compatriots as the fight for the Rainbow Jersey ramped up. “Until one and a half laps before the end, I still thought I had a chance at the title if it would come to a standstill," rued Pieterse in her post-race interview afterwards. "I was able to keep up for a long time and really put my cards on the table. I didn't have the legs to follow, unfortunately. At one point I noticed that I lacked power on long stretches with thick mud. But I saw that they only really pulled away in the last two laps."

“Until then, you have to keep your faith. Until one and a half laps before the end, I still thought I had a chance of winning the title if it would come to a standstill,” Pieterse continues her recap. “But in the last lap, I knew it wasn’t going to happen. Then it’s all about riding for the podium. I tried to keep riding technically well, only in the final lap I really made a mistake, but then the focus is gone and they had already finished.”

Nevertheless, Pieterse sees plenty of reason to be happy with her performance. “I rode a great race. With the legs I had, I got the most out of it. You always go for the highest and then you go for gold, because everything is possible," she concludes. "To be on the cyclocross podium for the third time in a row and on a World Championship podium again, in such a short time, that is very special. I can be very proud of that.”