Puck Pieterse is one of the most talented cyclists on the planet and she has only the young age of 22. She is firmly one of the favourites to win the Cyclocross World Championships this winter despite her focus in other disciplines and she has revealed when she intends on getting back to racing.
"Probably early December. As it looks now, it will be in Herentals or Namur. They'll have to wait a bit for me," the Dutchwoman told Wielerflits last night at the Nacht van Woerden where she and Marianne Vos were VIP guests. The race provided a lot of spectacle on this Tuesday night in the Netherlands and Pieterse was able to get back to the atmosphere of one of the disciplines where she has already won a lot.
Last season the Fenix - Deceuninck rider managed to win three World Cup races and finished third at the World Championships in Tabor, a race dominated by her compatriot Fem van Empel. Since, Pieterse has won a stage at the Tour de France Femmes on the road and has become Mountain Bike World Champion. A long and successful year means a deserved break, and she is taking some time off before focusing again in cyclocross.
She has said that a return is likely in mid-December, almost two months from now, either in the Herentals or Namur races - both brutal courses, known for their climbing terrain, which suits her to perfection. These two races take place on the 14th and 15th of December so she will have around month and a half of racing in her schedule before aiming for the World Championships in Liévin, France, on the 1st of February. Over the opening weeks of the season we are having Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, Fem van Empel and Lucinda Brand in a very similar level and each already with victories to their name.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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