Puck Pieterse benefits from Lucinda Brand crashing out to take victory at Zonhoven World Cup

Puck Pieterse has taken victory in Zonhoven at the UCI World Cup. Although brilliant once again, the sensation benefitted somewhat, from leader Lucinda Brand crashing out hard.

Although Fem van Empel and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado were both absent, many of the discipline's top stars were in action. From the gun, Lucinda Brand looked to have the best legs, breaking into an early lead solo. Sadly for the former world champion, a brutal crash forced her out of the race, seemingly with a broken nose.

With Brand gone, her compatriot, Puck Pieterse began to take control. Although Inge van der Heijden fought hard to keep in contact, Pieterse was always just ahead. Behind the Dutch pair, 19-year-old Zoe Backstedt was again impressive, maintaining a relatively comfortable lead over the her challengers and taking the final spot on the podium.