Riejanne Markus will line up for the Netherlands in the elite women’s road race at the 2025 World Championships in Rwanda, after being called in as a late replacement for Puck Pieterse. The 31-year-old Lidl-Trek rider had not been part of the initial plans of national coach Laurens ten Dam, but her presence has now been confirmed.
Pieterse had already announced last month that she would bring her season to a close, ruling herself out of the Worlds. That left the Dutch federation with a gap in its squad, and Markus was chosen as the most experienced option. She has already been training in Rwanda ahead of Saturday’s race.
For Markus, this will be another addition to her already extensive World Championship record. She first rode the road race in 2022, finishing 47th, and has since placed inside the top 10 in consecutive years – ninth in both Glasgow (2023) and Zürich (2024). She was also part of the Dutch mixed relay team that took gold back in 2019.
The Dutch squad for Rwanda looks strong despite some notable absences. Alongside Markus, the line-up features Demi Vollering, Anna van der Breggen, Shirin van Anrooij, Pauliena Rooijakkers, Yara Kastelijn and Femke de Vries. De Vries was a late inclusion herself, stepping up after Marianne Vos, a three-time world champion, was forced to miss the race. For the 23-year-old, it will mark her debut at the Worlds.
With a mix of seasoned leaders and newcomers, the Netherlands still carries one of the most formidable squads in Kigali, with Markus’s late call-up adding further depth to a team capable of shaping the race.
