"I just rode full throttle the whole race" - Costly mistakes have Puck Pieterse settling with runner-up at Cyclocross World Championships

Puck Pieterse has opted to ride the Elite World Championships in Hoogerheide, a decision that had her dream on rainbow stripes, however at the crucial time a couple of setbacks cost her the opportunity to fight for the gold medal.

Right in the start, Pieterse committed a mistake off the starting line: “My left foot, with which I pushed off, slipped twice. I knew that if Fem saw that I didn't have a good start, she would go for it immediately. So you have to respond and come back as soon as possible. That has cost strength," she said in a post-race interview.

Pieterse rode through the field and was the only rider able to match eventual winner Fem van Empel, however on lap 4 as the two rode together - with Lucinda Brand joining - Pieterse took a tumble on a technical section, and the gap that opened up was never again closed.

“I don't know exactly what happened then, I have yet to see that. I have always believed in it, because a mistake can certainly be made on this course. I just rode full throttle the whole race," she described.

Pieterse tried, but with the ferocious pace that van Empel had out in front it was no longer possible to catch up. Pieterse wheelied across the finish line in second place, nevertheless satisfied with her second place.

“It was really cool to ride here among the elites and to win a medal right away. I have also ridden enough World Championships in which I did not finish on the podium due to bad luck, a crash or too much stress," she concludes. "Certainly if you can win in such a way, I wish Fem it."