Pieterse announces when she will be back (a bit earlier than expected): "I still have some FOMO"

An hour after Fem van Empel convincingly won the Nacht van Woerden, we suddenly see her main rival, Puck Pieterse, standing by the side of the road. She is there with some friends to enjoy the spectacle, and her sister also raced in the elite women's category. "But I did experience some FOMO during the race," Puck confided to IDLProCycling.com. She has already chosen a race for her comeback.

Van Empel actually dominated the Nacht van Woerden from start to finish, as Pieterse also observed. While she normally engages in fierce battles with the World Champion, she is currently in a rest period. "Of course, I had some FOMO, but I hope there are still plenty of great races ahead where I can compete against Fem. It feels a bit strange to be on the sidelines here, but it's also fun for a change. During my sister's race, I could help by constantly shouting out the time differences. I can talk to my friends and family a bit more than usual, so that's nice."

At that very moment, Pieterse briefly rushes to the side of the course. Her eyes had already been fixed on the riders frequently, and now we find out why. "Come on, Jente, you can do it!" She wants to cheer on her teammate Jente Michels among the men. He would ultimately finish ninth, 1.40 minutes behind the winner, Lars van der Haar.

Pieterse will make her comeback in the Troyes World Cup on November 19th

Pieterse is eager to return to cyclocross and has already planned her comeback. She mentioned on Instagram that it would be at the end of November, but she shared her specific plans with IDLProCycling.com. "My comeback is now scheduled for November 19th at the Troyes World Cup," said Pieterse. That's when she will be back in action. She will have missed two World Cup races: Maasmechelen on October 29th and Dendermonde on November 12th. Competing for the World Cup overall title will be challenging due to these missed races.

Therefore, Pieterse hasn't set a specific goal for the World Cup general classification. "I'm not necessarily too tired from the mountain bike season, but I'm taking this time to rest so that it doesn't affect me later in the season. I need to skip a few races now to have an optimal preparation for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. During the cyclocross season, I will primarily aim to peak for the World Championships, and the rest of the time, I'll be fully focused on mountain biking. Everything on Paris!"