Pieterse aims to defend her Flèche Wallonne title against a stacked field: 'It won't be easy'

After a superb Tour of Flanders, Puck Pieterse did not have the legs to make the difference at the Amstel Gold Race. But she heads to the Flèche Wallonne with the added motivation of being defending champion. The competition is fierce, and for the Fenix-Premier Tech all-rounder, it is a question of producing one more big result to crown her spring.

The Flèche Wallonne is arguably the biggest win of Pieterse's career on the road. "That win obviously felt very special," she says on the Fenix-Premier Tech team website. "I had already taken some nice victories before, like in the Tour de France Femmes and on the mountain bike, so it wasn't new. But it was a confirmation that I can also win in the spring Classics. I had been close a few times already, but winning is still something different. It was important for my confidence."

In cyclocross and mountain biking, the 23-year-old from Amersfoort has won plenty, but on the road she has only managed it twice. They were big victories — but winning does not come easily. "A top ten is already very good, and a podium is obviously great. But to win, you need that little bit extra. Sometimes a bit of luck, but definitely also enough self-belief."

At the Flèche Wallonne, Pieterse has to race in a way that does not always come naturally to her. "Everyone knows I like to race aggressively. But in this Classic, you can't really try something from far out. It wouldn't be smart to attack before the Mur de Huy. It's all about positioning and then going as hard as possible all the way up." Timing still plays its role, though. "You still have to pick the right moment. Last year we had a clear plan for the Mur and I stuck to it well. But in the end, it's also about feeling and intuition."

Last year Pieterse beat virtually the entire world's best at Huy, but the start list this time around is just as daunting. Demi Vollering is there, along with Kasia Niewiadoma, Anna van der Breggen, Maeva Squiban, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Amstel Gold Race winner Paula Blasi. It won't be easy.

Pieterse is, as ever, refreshingly honest. She can see that her rivals have improved. "Even though I didn't have my best legs in the Amstel Gold Race, I think I'm at a similar level to last year. The difference is that the overall level has increased. More riders have taken a step forward, so the racing has become harder."

She points specifically to FDJ-Suez as an example. Where SD Worx-Protime had consistently been the strongest team in previous years, the French squad — together with UAE Team ADQ — have well and truly leapfrogged the team of Van der Breggen and Lotte Kopecky. The strength in depth at Vollering's team is remarkable. "They've already won Classics with four different riders this spring, which says a lot," notes a watchful Pieterse.

She is ready for the fight, though. The Ardennes Classics are circled in red on her calendar every year. "Together with the Tour of Flanders, these races are my main goals. I see Strade Bianche as a nice opener, but I'm usually still missing a bit of race intensity there due to a lack of race days. From Flanders onwards, it really starts — up to Liège-Bastogne-Liège."

Matching last year's week will be a tall order. "It was a very strong Ardennes campaign, with podium finishes in the Amstel Gold Race, the Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Of course you want that again, but it won't be easy. I'd rather have one real standout result than three podiums. Hopefully I can get that one big result, but I don't feel the need to match anything."

A top result at the Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège would be the perfect end to a brilliant spring. After that, Pieterse will put the road bike to one side for a while. "After that, I'll switch back to mountain biking. There are no more road races on my schedule until the Tour de France." The Tour de France Femmes begins on 1 August.