Puck Pieterse's cyclocross return confirmed for World Cup in Troyes

The Dutch have announced their selections for the upcoming World Cup round in Troyes, France and notable amongst the names is the return of National Champion, Puck Pieterse.

The talented 21-year-old has ridden just one cross so far this campaign, finishing second in Waterloo on the 15th of October behind her compatriot, Fem van Empel. The current leader of the World Cup standings and winner on Sunday in Dendermonde, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado is also part of the team although other well known names such as van Empel, Aniek van Alphen and Shrin van Anrooij are absent.

The men's side will be headlined by Pim Ronhaar. “For the Netherlands, this victory is hopeful, because it has been a while since a Dutchman managed to win a men's World Cup besides Mathieu van der Poel and Lars van der Haar,” says national coach Gerben de Knegt on the KNWU website. “If you want to compete among the elite for prizes, you must have been able to dominate the competitions given the statistics in the promising category. Pim was of course the U23 world champion and is now winning his first World Cup among the pros. This is a boost for Dutch cross-country racing and something to be proud of."

Dutch women's team for UCI World Cup Troyes: Puck Pieterse, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, Inge van der Heijden, Lucinda Brand, Denise Betsema, Manon Bakker, Annemarie Worst, Leonie Bentveld, Lauren Molengraaf, Iris Offerein, Isa Nomden.

Dutch men's team for UCI World Cup Troyes: Lars van der Haar, Joris Nieuwenhuis, Pim Ronhaar, Ryan Kamp, Corné van Kessel, Stan Godrie, Mees Hendrikx.