'Ouch' — Pieterse reflects on 'the four hardest minutes of the season' on the Mur de Huy

Puck Pieterse lined up in Huy on Wednesday as defending champion, but this time it was Demi Vollering who raised her arms at the top of the Mur de Huy. At the post-race press conference, the Fenix-Premier Tech rider sat alongside Vollering and looked back on the 2026 edition of the Flèche Wallonne.

In the final metres of the savage climb, Pieterse had looked as though she might just bridge the gap to Vollering. It wasn't to be. "It was all out, especially that last section where you have to give everything while you're out of the saddle. That doesn't look pretty," she said.

"What was I thinking? Ouch. When you start the Mur de Huy, you know it's going to be the four hardest minutes of the season. I went full gas, but I had to settle into my own pace fairly quickly. Demi did the same — and her pace turned out to be just a little bit higher."

"I had a moment of hesitation and got quite close, but in the end the line just came too soon," said Pieterse, who will also race Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday.

The 23-year-old — who still competes across three disciplines — was measured in her assessment of her own preparation. "The team is very good at building race programmes. Together with the performance staff and the Roodhooft brothers, we put a plan together. This spring I've raced a little less, with the goal of arriving fresher at the moments that matter."

On the secret of the Mur de Huy, Pieterse offered no illusions. "You need to be in a good position at the bottom and then go all out. That's really all there is to it. It's four minutes of suffering."

Despite the defeat, she left Huy with her head held high. "I pushed myself to the absolute limit, so I can only take the positives from this."