"This was the first cross where I felt like a cyclo-cross rider again" - Puck Pieterse has good sensations after third place in Baal cyclocross
Cyclocross
Puck Pieterse was one of the main attention drawers both prior and during the GP Sven Nys Baal. The Fenix-Deceuninck rider, who returned to action after few days out of competition due to an illness, rode alone at the front for a while, but eventually had to settle for third place. However, she was satisfied with her first cross after a complicated period.
"It took a while to figure it out," Pieterse began her story. "Eventually, you get a bit more tired, which makes it a bit more difficult. I made a mistake that allowed Lucinda to come back. She immediately saw her chance to take over. She did that very well."
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Brand once again proved her quality at such scenarios, not letting Pieterse to come back to the front again. "I was then stuck at ten seconds the whole time, until the last half lap. Then the best was gone. And Fem and Lucinda then started fighting so hard for the victory that it was also difficult to keep up when you are already at a gap."
Pieterse did not win, but was happy with her cross. "This was the first cross where I felt like a cyclo-cross rider again. I could compete for the win and I think it was one of the most exciting crosses so far. After Gavere I got sick, so I didn't know how it would go today. But apparently lying in bed all day made my form good (laughs)."
| Position | Rider | Team | Time |
| 01 | van Empel Fem | Visma | Lease a Bike | 46:51 |
| 02 | Brand Lucinda | Baloise - Trek Lions | + 00 |
| 03 | Pieterse Puck | Fenix-Deceuninck | + 21 |
| 04 | Cant Sanne | Crelan-Corendon | + 03:35 |
| 05 | Bakker Manon | Crelan-Corendon | + 04:02 |
| 06 | Kay Anna | Proximus - Cyclis CT | + 05:07 |
| 07 | Carrier Rafaelle | Canada | + 05:13 |
| 08 | Crabbe Kiona | Lotto Ladies | + 05:19 |
| 09 | Wolff Imogen | Visma | Lease a Bike | + 05:47 |
| 10 | Clouse Katie | Steve Tilford Foundation Racing | + 06:12 |
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- The check is in the mail....northcarolinaeric04-01-2025
- Considering his schedule and the fact he seemed to feel ok initially, I could imagine they didn’t rush it but probably now they have. I mean, even though he half impaled himself on the rod, he rode on to win in typical Mathieu style. Like he said, the pain got worse over the days so initially he probably thought nothing of it.Mistermaumau04-01-2025
- Yes, if Kuss (also a GT winner lest we forget, the same one) is back in form though, he’ll be lead domestique, Yates will be the domestique’s domestique and Jorgensen will do the relay between the two. Jonas will be on Tadej’s wheel somewhere else ;-) Guess we won’t be seeing any brothers escaping together anymore now.Mistermaumau04-01-2025
- lol they pass the SD Worx team at 4:00 in the video and Demi Vollering's (I think it's her...) jaw drops when she realises it's Jonas.Pogboom04-01-2025
- You dont need to be best at everything if you get a gap of 2-5 minutes over the other riders in the area of strengths overcoming the losses due to the weakness even if the other riders know your weaknessabstractengineer04-01-2025
- Your sentence makes no sense.verve82504-01-2025
- Yates is a GT winner, he will be a big part of setting the pace in he high mountains just like Kuss has done in previous years. He is a big name for Visma.awp04-01-2025
- Yes, they're not better than them at coming in 10th placeVeganpotter04-01-2025
- He may not be concerned, exactly, but I guarantee you he is fully conscious of this move: Kuss, Jorgensen, and Yates make for a very powerful domestique, and I think the balance of power may have shifted to Visma.verve82504-01-2025
- I would change the phrase in the heading of this article from "very afraid" to "watch him a bit".Ride197404-01-2025