Puck Pieterse not worried yet: "Everything is fine in training, and that's what I can rely on"

Third place— that was the best attainable result for Puck Pieterse in Kortrijk. The Fenix-Deceuninck cyclist acknowledged the high level of competition in women's cyclo-cross, which she views as a formidable challenge. IDLProCycling.com spoke to the Dutch champion after the cyclo-cross race in the West Flemish city!

A mechanical failure ultimately widened the gap in the Kortrijk city cross. "It immediately created a gap of about twenty seconds, making it challenging to close in on such a fast lap," the always candid Pieterse shared with IDLProCycling.com after the race. "Lucinda (Brand, rd.) naturally saw that I had a stroke of bad luck and pressed on — I would have done the same in her position. In the end, it was one of the most thrilling races to watch this season, as it remained closely contested for a long time. My race only came to an end when my chain came off. Up until that moment, I felt strong," the cyclist from Amersfoort explained.

Not that she harbored any illusions that she could have easily caught up with the winner, Fem van Empel. "Fem managed to ride far ahead, you know. Losing a chain doesn't make a minute's difference. I don't know if it would have made a significant impact on the outcome, but naturally, you approach a race differently when you're not suddenly trailing by twenty seconds."

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Pieterse confident for near future

"Pieterse is still in search of her first win this winter, but she's not worried. On the contrary, she remains optimistic, especially given her extensive mountain bike summer experience. "Of course, I believe I can still make progress; I haven't raced for months. I'm not entirely sure about my current form. On a mountain bike, you consistently ride the same bike, allowing you to gauge your power on climbs. In cyclo-cross, you're frequently changing bikes, so I'm uncertain whether I'm faster or slower than last year and if I'm below my level from last winter. Everything looks good in training sessions, and that's what I can base my confidence on. I hope to improve; that's the plan," says the Dutch cross country champion.

"While winning is always a goal, I'm confident it will come this season," she remains calm about it. "On the mountain bike, I also needed three preparation races before winning in the World Cup. And I didn't win them all either. I have confidence in the process," said Pieterse, who, in any case, enjoyed the reunion with fellow rider Van Empel in Kortrijk. "It's nice to see each other again," smiled the friendly cyclist from Fenix-Deceuninck at the end of the interview after the X2O Trophy cross.