Puck Pieterse heads into this weekend’s World Championships in Zurich with mixed feelings about her chances. After a stellar season, which saw her claim victory in the World Mountain Bike Championships in Andorra and a stage win at the Tour de France Femmes, Pieterse acknowledges that the road race in Zurich will be a different kind of challenge. “Maybe it’s in the back of my mind, but I know myself that the chance is not that great,” she revealed when discussing her prospects for securing a second rainbow jersey this year.
The Zurich course features tough, rolling terrain, which Pieterse describes as relentless. “The course is selective, always goes up and down as soon as you are on the local lap. It is never flat, a bit like in mountain biking. You always go either up or down. But never that you can just paddle out in the wheel,” she explained. Despite these challenges, Pieterse remains cautiously optimistic, knowing that her background in mountain biking could play to her advantage.
However, the 22-year-old is fully aware that she is not the outright favourite going into the race. “I rode a good Tour, so I think people will definitely look at me. But I am not at the start with the pressure of a top favourite,” she said. Pieterse also pointed to the strength of her Dutch teammate Demi Vollering, who is widely seen as one of the top contenders. “It is good that Demi is also in the team, we all know that she is in great shape. It gives confidence to the rest of the team that she is also ready and takes on that role.”
Photo Credit: GettyReflecting on the challenges of road racing, Pieterse admitted that she would need everything to fall perfectly into place for her to come out on top. “Rensters like Vollering, Kopecky, or Vos are so strong, they can force the race. I myself will need a super day and maybe the others to have a slightly less good day.”
Having already scouted the Zurich course, Pieterse noted how much tougher it was in person. “Much harder than I thought. Heavier than it seems on Veloviewer and Google Streetview. It’s almost never flat, except for the last three kilometres. There are really two climbs – one short and steep, and the other longer with a stepped gradient,” she explained.
Although not facing the pressure of being a top favourite, Pieterse knows she won’t fly under the radar either. “No, I’m not a dark horse anymore. I’ve ridden too many good races for that. But I also don’t have the pressure of being the outright favourite.”
Whether she can win or not this weekend remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: Pieterse is ready to give it her best shot, knowing that her form is strong and that she has nothing to lose. “If you start a race, you always have a chance to win. And we’ve seen strange results at World Championships before. Winning is definitely possible.”
