Video: After podium in Maasmechelen, CX rider races around McDonald's

Puck Pieterse was very close, but for the 8th time in her career she has finished on the podium of a World Cup race without winning it. After Tabor, in Maasmechelen the Dutch rider once again finished in second place to Fem van Empel, but has had more to show for in the day.

“My technique has improved this year. Normally I don't touch the bars anymore, but now they were right after a corner and it was very bumpy so I had to take them with little speed," Pieterse said of her jumping the barriers, again the only rider in the women's field who was capable of doing it. “In the end we worked well together in the leading group and we all gave each other the win."

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She was in front with compatriots and fellow under-23 riders Fem van Empel and Shirin van Anrooij, and seemed specially in the first half of the race to be putting the World Cup leader in serious pressure. But in the end, van Empel had the best legs, and Pieterse settled with second place. “I knew it was difficult to overtake on this course. In the end I was passed by Van Empel at an important moment. Then I knew it was going to be very difficult."

"In the end, I'm happy with second place. The tactic was to go full on the first lap, but after two laps I felt tired. After that I tried to ride a tight pace”, the current under-23 World Champion said.

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After the race however, Pieterse - who has a Youtube channel where she frequently posts videos of the course recons - has shared a video of herself and other members of the Dutch youth teams going through a McDonald's drive-through in what was an unusual post-race ride!

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