Puck Pieterse wins in her first elite MTB race in Nové Město: "I really thought I had completely blown myself up"

The fact that Puck Pieterse is brimming with talent has been beyond dispute for some time, but the Dutch did something very special today. The young rider rode a World Cup mountain bike race for the first time today with the elites and immediately crossed the finish line first.

She only rode her first World Cup MTB race with the elite women today, but it did not prevent Puck Pieterse from unleashing in the Czech Nové Město. The Dutch all-rounder, who celebrated her 21st birthday on Saturday, was able to celebrate after a thrilling duel with none other than the reigning world champion, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot.

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Afterwards, a frantic Pieterse searched for the right words. “I don't know what happened today… My start is usually good, but we were going so fast! I really thought I had completely blown myself up, but apparently that was also the case with the other riders.”

“Pauline and I rode together in pursuit of Evie, who got a flat tire after four laps. I was suddenly in the lead. I tried to stay calm in the final and it worked out well.”

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