"I landed pretty hard on my head": One mistake costs Puck Pieterse a shot at World title in Hulst

As expected, the elite women's race at the cyclocross World Championships has turned into a strictly Dutch battle for top placings, with the ladies in orange ultimately taking all three medals. After five years of waiting, Lucinda Brand returned to cyclocross throne as Ceylin Alvarado and Puck Pieterse completed the podium.

While Brand simply rode Alvarado off her wheel with her high pace in the finale, we won't know whether Pieterse could've challenged her compatriot as the 23-year-old crashed in one of the steep descents and was forced to changed her bike. Such a timeloss was irrecoverable.

"The time differences here are just so small; even ten seconds is too big a gap to bridge. I also had the feeling I wouldn't be able to get back quickly unless they really looked at each other," she admitted honestly in an interview to In de Leiderstrui.

As a consequence, Pieterse fell through all the way to the large group fighting for bronze medal. "I think I got the most out of it. Lucinda and Ceylin didn't stand still, of course. They rode so hard, and considering their season, it was well-deserved."

And what had happened to Pieterse to crash? "I don't know, I still have to look back. You go into that descent with a sense of risk and speed, but I think my front wheel slid. I landed pretty hard on my head and knew that Lucinda and Ceylin logically wouldn't wait. Unfortunately. (laughs) I had to change bikes, and that's how the chasing group caught up with me. Then you know you're not going to be able to close a thirty-second gap."

The chasing group featured several nationalities; Czech Kristyna Zemanova, Belgian Marion Norbert-Riberolle, Hungarian Blanka Vas, French Amandine Fouquenet, Swiss Joland Neff and Brit Zoe Backstedt. Pieterse was in quite a disadvantage with everyone keeping their eyes on the Dutchwoman, but home crowds helped Pieterse when they were needed the most.

"Normally, you only realize how many people there are on the podium, but today was a little different. On the last lap, I had five non-Dutch riders on my wheel, and I really felt all the cheering. I realized: all these people are supporting me! And that helped."

Contrary to Pieterse, the 27-year-old Alvarado can blame herself for the defeat today. The 2020 world champion started strongly and led the first few laps. However, when Brand accelerated on the third lap, Alvarado sensed the storm brewing.

"Someone was simply better today, that's the bottom line," Alvarado said in an interview with Sporza, referring to Brand.

"I tried, but I could already tell it wasn't quite working. When Lucinda then started, I just couldn't keep up. In the chase that followed, the gap didn't get any smaller, but it didn't get any bigger either."

The difference between the two hovered around five seconds for a while, and a strange fall by Brand allowed Alvarado to rejoin. "When Lucinda fell, I got a second chance," said the runner-up. "After that, I thought: what now? But it quickly became clear that she was simply the better rider."

"I just kept riding, because you never know for sure," Alvarado said, refusing to give up. At the same time, she knew it was a daunting task. "The gap just kept widening, and you could tell she was the better rider. She's had a really good season. And I think this is the ultimate crowning achievement for her," Alvarado said fondly of her compatriot.