The 22-year-old from Amersfoort has built a reputation across cyclocross, mountain biking and road racing as one of the most exciting multi-discipline riders in the women’s peloton. Last summer, she claimed her first major road victory with a sprint win from a small group into Liège at the Tour de France Femmes. Now, ahead of her debut in the Ardennes, she’s chasing another breakthrough performance—this time in her home country.
Speaking to De Telegraaf, Pieterse reflected on her consistently high-level results across the spring classics. Since her first full campaign in 2023, she has finished in the top 10 in fifteen of sixteen one-day races. But as she openly admitted, there’s still one thing missing.
“That victory isn’t there yet,” she said. “I do know that the world’s top riders are at the start of these races, and that my place is kind of somewhere in the top 10. I need a really good day to stand out.”
First Amstel Gold Race comes with home pressure and excitement
Her next big opportunity will come this Sunday at the Amstel Gold Race, a race she’s riding for the first time and one she’s looking forward to.
“It’s going to be my first Amstel, and I’m really looking forward to it,” Pieterse told De Telegraaf. “Last weekend I scouted the hills in Limburg and in Liège. I think it’s really cool that this race is in the Netherlands. I’m excited about the whole atmosphere with Dutch fans, and of course, a few more friends and family will come to watch. If I can get on the podium here—or even win—that would be really great.”
Her decision to skip this year’s Paris-Roubaix Femmes—a race many expected her to thrive in—wasn’t taken lightly, but she made it with her long-term goals in mind.
“When you’re watching on TV, it does hurt a bit that you’re not there. But it was definitely the right choice, because it doesn’t fit in with my preparation for the hill classics. It’s an atypical race, where there’s a big chance that your hands will be torn up afterwards. That’s a lot less pleasant in the races that follow. Plus, it’s a race that carries a higher risk of crashes, and when you crash on cobbles, it hurts more than on asphalt.”
Photo Credit: Getty‘Bidongate’, beer and the ugly side of fan behaviour
Pieterse also weighed in on the now-infamous moment during the men’s Roubaix, when Mathieu van der Poel was hit in the face with a full bidon.
“Those kinds of things are just absolutely not acceptable,” she said. “This is something else entirely than a plastic cup of beer, although none of it is justifiable. It’s really sad that there are people who go to a race with the thought: ‘I’m going to throw that bidon at Van der Poel.’”
She noted that similar behaviour exists in women’s races too. “In women’s cycling, we experience the same kind of thing—people shouting things or throwing stuff at your head. Last year in the Tour de France, I was riding behind Marianne Vos, and someone threw a cup of beer at her. And in cyclocross, too. At a certain point, there are so many drunk people that they don’t really know what they’re doing anymore.”
Balancing cyclocross, MTB and the road—without burnout
Pieterse is one of the few riders juggling road racing with full MTB and cyclocross calendars, something she feels has helped rather than hindered her development. While fellow Dutch rider Fem van Empel recently stepped back from competition citing mental fatigue, Pieterse told De Telegraaf she still feels energised by the variety.
“I think that can happen to anyone. Often, it’s a combination of factors. Fem did more cross races than I did this winter and has been under pressure for years wearing that rainbow jersey. Road racing is so different from mountain biking and cyclocross. It shouldn’t become an obligation—when it does, that’s when things go wrong. I actually find that the variation between disciplines gives me a lot of enjoyment.”
And while she hasn’t specifically sought advice from Van der Poel on how to balance the demands of three disciplines, she knows exactly what he represents.
“I haven’t talked to him about it specifically, but Mathieu is definitely a role model for me…”
With the Ardennes still to come and the mountain bike season just around the corner, Pieterse isn’t short on opportunities. But with Amstel on the horizon—and the podium within reach—there’s a sense that her next defining result on the road might be closer than ever.
