"It's cool that I can immediately compete for the medals" - Puck Pieterse looks forwards to her first Olympic start

Saturday, 27 July 2024 at 02:30

Puck Pieterse will enter the Sunday's mountain bike event in Paris as one of the big favourites to bring back home to Netherlands at least a medal, if not gold. However against the strong French ladies on a home field, it won't be easy for the multitalented 22-year-old.

"It’s special that I’m the favorite right away," says Pieterse at WielerFlits. "I feel a little bit of extra pressure in that respect, maybe. But it’s really cool that if you participate, I can immediately compete for the medals. You always have to let it happen a little bit. It is and remains a single competition. Which makes it nice, but a lot can also go wrong."

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Pieterse won four World Cup races in the run-up to the Games. "That certainly gives self-confidence. Of course, it is always a snapshot, you never know what the rest has trained or done. Having already won is certainly a good feeling when you go into a competition like this."

How does the Dutch woman view the course in Paris? "There are some tricky points. The top layer is gravel, which makes it slippery in some corners. You have to be extra careful in that respect. It would be nice if the race could be determined on the climbs. But I definitely think that if you get the rhythm right here, you can also make up a lot of time on the sections in between."

Regarding the organisation and vibe within the Olympic village, she compares the event to last year's super-championships in Glasgow: "I really enjoy being here. At the Super World Championships in Glasgow we were only with the mountain bikers, now we were in the hotel with the other cyclists as well. We are a bit more isolated from the other Olympic athletes."