"The championships are extra important now" - Can Puck Pieterse take back Dutch title against van Empel, Brand and Alvarado?
Cyclocross
Puck Pieterse has been back to cyclocross for three weeks now and her real form is starting to show. A few days ago she took an impressive win in Koksijde beating Lucinda Brand and Fem van Empel. Yesterday at the Dendermonde World Cup she settled for second, but is aiming to win the Dutch national championships this upcoming weekend against her rivals.
“It’s good. Until this weekend I hadn’t won yet and I hadn’t finished second either, so I think I can take that with me into next week," Pieterse said in words to Wielerflits. "I’m going to do some good cross training, focused on how the course will probably be on Sunday. For the rest, I’m taking it easy.”
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Because of the sheer quality of the women's field in the Netherlands, the national championships are just as hard to win as the European and World Championships - her rivals will be the same riders. The Fenix-Deceuninck has now beaten the women that will go to battle against her in Oisterwijk and is aiming to reclaim the Dutch stripes as she had in the past.
This is specially a big goal for her because she is not competing for any cup. So the national and World Championships are the two biggest goals of her CX season. “Certainly. If you don’t ride a full cyclocross season, you can’t go for a [cup] ranking or something like that. I had already missed races from every ranking before I even rode my first race. That’s why the championships are extra important now," she concluded.
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Haha what an awesome photo 😂 #Dendermonde #FemvanEmpel #PuckPieterse #cyclocross #CXWorldCup pic.twitter.com/HHXrE6dAn8
— Tonke (@TonkeBerg) January 5, 2025

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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.
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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)...
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- I know, watch the video. and listen to her competitors. it was a tricky tacky call at best. WTF is this guy talking about??? my original comment was from the picture it didn't look like anything.mij09-11-2026
- I dunno what you're talking about. you make no sense. MS's competitor and the competitors coach said it was BS. she didn't deviate in a way that relegation should be required. revel LOL. you're so cool, in your own mind.mij09-11-2026
- deviation lol, watch the videomij09-11-2026
- the 'No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines' comment was unfortunately a bit off. didn't you just boast about your principles in the comments section of another article?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- Are you MrMauMau 2.0? Nothing you are saying is really relevant. Vaguely connected, but irrelevant. The conversation is whether Schreiber impeded Brand or not.
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026
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