Pieterse had to make tough but smart choices leading up to the cyclo-cross season: "You can't do it all at once"
Cyclo-crossWednesday, 18 December 2024 at 06:40
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Follow us on GooglePuck Pieterse started her cyclo-cross season later than ever this year. While the Dutch talent typically kicks off her campaign in October, this winter the rider from Amersfoort made her debut only in mid-December, at the World Cup race in Namur. After the event, she explained her decisions to IDLProCycling.com.
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Pieterse immediately secured a podium spot in her season opener. Battling through the mud on the Citadel of Namur, she managed to stay with the race leaders for a long time, where eventual winner Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Fenix-Deceuninck) dominated the race. "I didn’t have high expectations. I hoped to compete with the front group, and I think I did pretty well."
The obvious follow-up question: how good is Pieterse already at her debut? "I think today showed that my level is solid. It’s probably the same as last year. In terms of cyclocross technique, there’s definitely room for improvement, like accelerating quickly out of corners. But that improves with each race—the more races you do, the better you get at it."
Pieterse didn't want to miss Namur
Compared to previous years, Pieterse started her cyclo-cross campaign two months later, though last winter there was a month-long gap between her first and second races. "Ideally, I’d ride the entire cyclo-cross season. But starting later means I’m not competing for any overall classifications this year. Still, I think last year proved that beginning the season later was a good approach. You can’t do everything at once."
In Namur, the Fenix-Deceuninck rider was presented with a course perfectly suited to her. "I didn’t want to miss Namur. And the previous two World Cups were farther from home, so the choice was easy," Pieterse explained about starting her season there.
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Pieterse eyes a mini-triple
Pieterse’s cyclo-cross season includes a total of 13 races, with her first in Namur already earning her a third-place finish. There are no free weekends between these races—she plans to maintain her form all the way to the World Championships in Liévin, France. "I think races are also really good training. If there’s a real need for rest, you can always skip a weekend," she said.
The main goal, of course, is the World Championships. With a road World Championship title (at the U23 level) and one in mountain biking already to her name, Pieterse has the chance to achieve a unique streak of World Champion jerseys. "The goal has always been to become cyclo-cross World Champion. That remains the goal every year, so it’s not something extra. But it would be amazing to achieve a mini-triple—though one of those titles is at the U23 level. Still, it would be really cool."
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- - Vamos Remco! Terzo tempo al Tour, adesso Giro per la rosa, por favor. Red Bull kit on the Stelvio would look fuego.jennifer1917-09-2026
- - Great read, but a bit harsh calling 2024 “one-sided” without noting Pogačar’s monster Mortirolo day and the gaps. That context matters. Also, small correction: Visma didn’t actually “win all the Grand Tours” with Jonas personally—he’s got the set now, but the team’s GT slate is broader. Still, the point stands about the double being brutal.patriciaw17-09-2026
- - Quick one: does “significant” interest from his camp mean he’d skip the Dauphiné-style Tour build entirely? I’m confused how riders peak twice—can you actually hold top form for Giro + Worlds ITT in the same block?cadencekingm17-09-2026
- - Loved this. If Remco really targets the Giro, we could finally get a proper GC duel in Italy again. His TT gains this season plus Bora’s mountain train (Uijtdebroeks? Hindley as super-domestique?) could make it spicy, especially if Pog decides to keep the Tour as priority.pedalpowe2917-09-2026
- - Grande respeto por Gilbert, pero en este caso me parece demasiado crítico. Wellens hizo un trato con el equipo; palabra es palabra. Belgica aún tiene dos capos para ganar. Vamos a ver la carrera primero, no?velodromevirtuoso116-09-2026
- - Gilbert calling him “out of touch with reality” feels a bit harsh. Tim literally won Tour of Britain after a monster Tour de France — form management matters. Also, if Pogacar was racing Worlds (he’s not for Belgium, obviously), why would that factor into Tim’s national selection logic anyway? That line was weirdly framed.lindae16-09-2026
- - Quick question: If the Worlds course suits Remco and Wout so perfectly, what specific role would Wellens play? Is it as a late-race engine on the circuits, or covering dangerous moves in the mid-phase? I’m trying to understand why his skillset is seen as indispensable here.gearguru3316-09-2026
- - Not sure I get Gilbert here. Worlds is huge, yes, but UAE are decimated by crashes and he’s key in CRO Race/Wallonia prep. Also, Remco and Wout already have a stacked support cast — Benoot, Campenaerts, maybe Van Hooydonck-type roles filled. Does Tim actually change the outcome on that course?davidm16-09-2026
- - Thoughtful choice from Wellens. He promised UAE-XRG he’d cover the late-season races after Renewi, and he’s sticking to it. Loyalty cuts both ways — the team paid his wages through a brutal TdF and injuries. Can’t fault a rider for honoring a pact, even if it stings for Belgium.patriciaw16-09-2026
- - Grande artículo, pero una duda: if “you don’t have to be the strongest to win,” does that mean we’ll see more negative racing? Seems a bit defeatist, no?raceready715-09-2026
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