'She hit the turbo' — Pieterse reflects on finishing second to Vollering again at Liège

After finishing second at La Flèche Wallonne, Puck Pieterse had to settle for the same result at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, again unable to match Demi Vollering. In the sprint for second, though, the Fenix-Premier Tech rider convincingly beat Kasia Niewiadoma and Anna van der Breggen.

Despite finishing second for the second time in Liège, Pieterse rates this year's result more highly than last year's, as she made clear in her flash interview. "If you look at how hard the race was... I don't know if I could have ridden a finale like that in the form I had last year." The level, she feels, is simply higher in 2026.

Vollering attacked on the Redoute. Pieterse was one of the few who managed to stay anywhere near her. "We were still with her halfway up. Then there was one more surge. I thought we might still be able to go with her. But Niewiadoma let a small gap open — and I was so spent I couldn't get past her."

"Then Demi just flew," Pieterse continued. The chase trio managed to keep the European champion in their sights for a while, but it was only temporary. "I tried to keep the gap as small as possible. We could still see her — but heading towards the Roche-aux-Faucons, she hit the turbo."

Although a big win eluded Pieterse this spring, she can look back on a consistent and impressive opening to the season: third at the Tour of Flanders, fourth at Milan-San Remo, and second at both La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. In a spring dominated by Vollering, that record speaks for itself.

All in all, Pieterse makes a positive assessment after the spring. "To be on the podium in Flanders, I was already super happy about that. And now that things are also going well in the Ardennes, I can't complain about that," said the Dutch rider, who just failed to win this season.

Pieterse is now focusing on ... King's Night! "I'll have to see what time I get home and if the caffeine will still work then,' she says with a smile. 'I now have a few days off and then I'll focus on mountain biking again. I won't race on the road again until the Tour de France" (which starts August 1, ed.).