Women Elite Podium 🏆 🥇 Fem Van Empel (NED) 🥈 Puck Pieterse (NED) 🥉 Lucinda Brand (NED) #Hoogerheide2023
"I just rode full throttle the whole race" - Costly mistakes have Puck Pieterse settling with runner-up at Cyclocross World Championships
CyclocrossSaturday, 04 February 2023 at 17:50
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."
Read also
claps 0visitors 147
Just in
Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter today!
Nov 05, 13:04
0
Five world tour debutants to watch next season
Dec 23, 10:00
0
Popular news
Latest comments
- Most of these have nothing to do with rider safety or are completely unachievablevappaxbipmv23-12-2024
- Depends on how fast the Cipressa would be beforehand and in what condition Philipsen would bevappaxbipmv23-12-2024
- Some things sound crazy until they aren't, what if he's actually right? 🤷vappaxbipmv23-12-2024
- Why make a comment to state the obvious? Of course MvdP is much better at CX than Pogacar, does anyone doubt that But that wasn't his pointvappaxbipmv23-12-2024
- If you look at road alone obvi Pogacar is the better rider. But maybe MVDP is the better overall rider since he can win in three plus disciplines?mobk23-12-2024
- Correction on 2021 Olympics. It was mainly the Dutch ladies who didn’t know who was leading the race. Other teams like the Germans and Italians knew that Kiesenhofer was out front.mobk23-12-2024
- A champion turning into a sore loser. Or is he on coke again?
UltimateOpportunist23-12-2024 - If you look at the major races they’ve both been in, van der Poel had the early edge as lately Pogacar has had the advantage. It’s all on procyclingstats.RidesHills23-12-2024
- I wouldn’t assume Tadej can’t win at cross. He did a cross race, not a World Cup, a few years ago and crushed the field. It was a minor race. But he can win anywhere.mij23-12-2024
- I wonder what would happen if Pogacar attacked on the Cipressa instead of the Poggio in San Remo? Would MvdPoel still be able to follow?Ride197423-12-2024