Puck Pieterse sees positives in Hulst podium: “But of course I want to be a few steps higher"

Puck Pieterse is still waiting for a first victory since making her return to cyclocross this winter. In another solid display though, the Dutch prodigy secured a spot on the podium this Saturday afternoon at World Cup Hulst.

Crossing the line in third behind race winner Marie Schreiber and World Cup leader Lucinda Brand, Pieterse was left rueing a string of small errors.  "I think the feeling was a bit better. In the first half of the race I kept coming back, but then I made another stupid mistake, after which I had to chase again," Pieterse explains in her post-race interview afterwards. "That cost me a bit too much energy today."

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Nevertheless, Schreiber incredibly impressed Pieterse. “Everyone knows she has a fast start. It's cool to see that she managed to keep that up in the second part of the race, because normally she falls back a bit. But today she was super strong. Very impressive," the Dutch star says with class. "We all knew she would win one day, but to do it on a course like Hulst is really impressive.”

And despite her wait for victory continuing, Pieterse leaves Hulst with good vibes. “It’s a good start,” she concludes. “But of course I want to be a few steps higher. There are still some things to work on, but overall it’s fine.”

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