Puck Pieterse once again nears debut World Cup win - "Last year I was given free rein, not now"

Puck Pieterse is in her third year as an under-23 rider, and she will be focusing on quality as she forego most of the first month of racing in the cyclocross calendar, but has made a storming return to the World Cup competition yesterday in Tabor.

“I just don't think I went through the cross on the bars. Last year I was given free rein, not now," Pieterse said. At 19 years of age, she had finished second last year in this race only behind Lucinda Brand. Her capacity to jump over the barriers in the uphill section was something no other rider in the women's race could pull off, and it was a great advantage for her here.

Pieterse only started her season last week, with a win at the GP Oisterwijk. Her form was not known against the likes of Fem van Empel and Annemarie Worst who have been competing for some time already, but early in the race she proved to be a dangerous card, consistently racing near the front, and occasionally making a move off the front in the barriers section where she stood out.

"I actually wanted to attack on the last climb towards the finish, but Fem had the same idea," the 20-year old Dutch said. Pieterse didn't manage to anticipate, and Fem van Empel showed the form she had had proven throughout the rest of the season, by getting a gap inside the final lap and holding it to the line to take another win. Pieterse rode into a strong second place, but adding another podium result to the six she had taken last year in the competition. Next week in Maasmechelen most riders will meet up once again for the fourth round.