Puck Pieterse will start the first of 11 races that will make up her 2024-2025 cyclocross season on Sunday at the UCI Cyclocross World Cup in Namur.
"I am looking forward to my return to the field in Namur," Pieterse told Het Nieuwsblad from the Fenix-Deceuninck training camp in Benicassim, Spain.
"I am motivated for every race, but always a little bit more for Namur. It is one of the most beautiful circuits, I like to ride there. That always provides extra motivation. And I am at the start with a fresh mind."
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The 22-year-old is coming off a two-month break from competition, longer than usual after she targeted the UCI Gravel World Championship title in October, finishing fourth, and a busy road and mountain bike season before that which included the Olympic Games and Tour de France, where she won stage 4 in Liège.
"I am starting to get the itch now," Pieterse said. "I've followed a lot of competitions on television in the past few weeks and now I feel like starting myself. The first two weeks of my holiday I did not touch the bike, after that I only cycled for two weeks when I felt like it. I have been training structured again since November. That is not very long, but I still hope to reach my level of the past winters."
Although her 2024 season has been busy and her start in cyclocross delayed, Pieterse has 12 races planned before Worlds, most of which are World Cups with the penultimate round in Maasmechelen the only maybe on her calendar.
"I am going to do almost as many cyclocross races as last season. I do not think I will ever have ridden so many competitions in such a short period of time, I am also going to ride double weekends for the first time."
Her first double weekend comes next week with the World Cups in Hulst and Zonhoven, followed by the 'kerstperiode' races in Gavere, Diegem and Baal on December 26, 30 and January 1.
"I saw on television that the level of the top athletes is close together," Pieterse said. "Last year the differences were bigger. I actually want to compete for the win right away and hope to be on the highest step as often as possible. But at the same time, I have to wait and see how my condition is, and how my preparation will pay off. The World Championships in Liévin in early February are my main goal of the year."
The Namur World Cup, with its steep climbs around the citadel, is one of the most demanding circuits on the calendar.
"I realize that this is not the course where you start calmly and sit on the wheels for a while. In Namur, the strongest often wins, hiding yourself is impossible. And yet I secretly hope that I am already good enough to fight for the victory. Whether that hope is justified, we will see on Sunday.
"I will probably be on the third starting row. In principle, in Namur, you have enough time to move up immediately, although there is a risk that you will end up in the crowd."
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Puck Pieterse's 2024-2025 cyclocross schedule
- UCI Cyclocross World Cup Namen - December 15
- UCI Cyclocross World Cup Hulst - December 21
- UCI Cyclocross World Cup Zonhoven - December 22
- UCI Cyclocross World Cup Gavere - December 26
- Superprestige Diegem - December 30
- X2O Trophy Baal GP Sven Nys - January 1, 2025
- X2O Trophy Koksijde - January 3
- UCI Cyclocross World Cup Dendermonde - January 5
- Dutch National Championships - January 12
- UCI Cyclocross World Cup Benidorm - January 19
- UCI Cyclocross World Cup Maasmechelen (TBC) - January 25
- UCI Cyclocross World Cup Hoogerheide - January 26
- UCI Cyclocross World Championships - Liévin - February 1
