“When I saw she had a puncture, I immediately attacked”: Puck Pieterse’s killer instinct brings first World Cup win of the winter in Maasmechelen

In cyclocross, hesitation is often punished more harshly than aggression. On a cold January afternoon in Maasmechelen, Puck Pieterse chose decisiveness, and in doing so reignited her World Cup season at the most critical moment of the winter.

Her move was as simple as it was ruthless. Seeing Amandine Fouquenet puncture while the race was still finely balanced, Pieterse went on the offensive immediately. “When I saw she had a puncture, I immediately attacked, that’s racing unfortunately,” she said afterwards, a sentence that neatly captured both the realities of elite cyclocross and her own competitive instincts.

The victory at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup Maasmechelen was not framed by Pieterse as a fortunate break, but as a moment where alertness and readiness aligned. She was acutely aware that Fouquenet could recover quickly, with the pit lane close and time gaps fragile. The attack, then, was not opportunism but necessity.

That clarity of thought mattered. Pieterse had already ridden aggressively earlier in the race, showing she was willing to shoulder responsibility at the front rather than wait for others to dictate terms. When the decisive moment arrived, she was mentally prepared to act.

The result was her first World Cup victory in over two years, a fact that only sharpened the emotional weight of the finish. “It’s a big relief to win a World Cup again,” she admitted. “I didn’t manage it last season, and that made me realise how special it is in cyclocross to win one.”

While the outcome was clear, Pieterse was careful not to downplay the quality of the competition. She pointed to the technical demands of the Maasmechelen circuit and the strength shown by those around her, particularly Fouquenet, whose fight back earlier in the race had already tested her limits.

“This was certainly one of the hardest races,” Pieterse said, pushing back against any suggestion that cyclocross victories at this level come easily or by default. Her remarks also addressed a familiar narrative around riders crossing between disciplines. “Sometimes it seems as if it’s just a few road riders in the field, but that’s definitely not the case,” she added.

The podium picture reinforced that point, with Pieterse finishing ahead of Ceylin Alvarado, while series leader Lucinda Brand was forced to settle for a rare race outside the top three.

Beyond the result itself, Maasmechelen offered reassurance about Pieterse’s trajectory heading into the World Championships. After a heavy crash at the Dutch national championships earlier this month disrupted her momentum, the past fortnight had been about recovery as much as preparation.

“I knew that this weekend the form had to be good if you want to perform next week,” she said. “The past two weeks haven’t been the easiest after the national championships, but I’m happy that everything is now falling into place.”

That sense of timing may yet prove decisive. With Hulst looming, Pieterse leaves Maasmechelen not just with a World Cup trophy, but with proof that her instincts, fitness, and confidence have aligned at the sharp end of the season. In a discipline where races are often decided in seconds, that combination can matter just as much as raw strength.