Puck Pieterse receives excellent signals just in time for her major goals

Pieterse began her road season after a strong cyclo-cross winter at Strade Bianche, where she finished sixth and, just like in previous years, was right in the mix for the podium. She then took fifth in the Trofeo Oro in Euro, 12th in Trofeo Binda and fourth in Milan-Sanremo. On paper, her 17th place in Dwars door Vlaanderen was her weakest result of the year so far.

Appearances can be deceptive, though, because when the women’s race exploded in the finale on Wednesday, Pieterse was initially right where she needed to be. “Actually, the legs felt really good. I was in a good position every time, and I felt like we had the race under control. Unfortunately, I wasn’t well positioned when Reusser and Vollering went.'

The two powerhouses opened up a gap. “At that point, I already knew what time it was,” said Pieterse, who still tried to organise a chase in the group behind. “We tried to make the best of it, but it wasn’t enough. Maybe we were just a little too late getting a proper chase going.”

“At one point it really started to roll when UAE joined in,” the Fenix-Premier Tech leader continued in her analysis. In the end, Pieterse mostly took her hat off to Reusser and Vollering. “From the Nokereberg onwards, they were riding full gas behind them, so it’s super impressive that they stayed away.”

Despite finishing 17th on the day, Pieterse still got exactly the signals she had been hoping for. “This was a good test for Flanders, just to see how everything feels, what we need to pay attention to and what can still be improved. We’ll definitely discuss a few things with the team,” she said.

From Sunday onwards, things really start to matter, with the Tour of Flanders followed by the Ardennes triple of the Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Pieterse will hope to deliver there, just as she did last year when she won Flèche Wallonne. In her two previous appearances at the Tour of Flanders, she finished sixth and ninth.

“I’m going to De Ronde with more confidence than ever, actually,” Pieterse said honestly, sounding clearly motivated and full of belief. “We’ll see, because in the end you still need to have the legs. I wasn’t there at the key moment this time, so a few riders were stronger. But I do feel like I’m right in the mix.”

Bram van der Ploeg ( X: @BvdPloegg | email : [email protected])