Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) claimed the first elite World Cup victory of her young career on Sunday and did so in style, crushing the competition at the Druivencross in Overijse.
The 20-year-old took control on the opening lap of a muddy course and extended her lead on the following four to reach the finish more than a minute clear.
Fem Van Empel (Pauwels Sauzen Bingoal), who has dominated the World Cup series so far this season, was humbled into second place. She had to let Pieterse go on the opening lap and rode the rest of the race alone in pursuit but only slipped further back, crossing the line at an arrears of 1:03.
Shirin van Anrooij (Baloise Trek Lions), who ended Van Empel's winning streak in Bergen last weekend, claimed the final podium spot, albeit 1:36 in arrears.
"It was such a cool race, but really hard," Pieterse said. "I just took all the risks on the first laps to take an advantage then rode my own pace, a bit more safe.
"I expected it to be more together in the beginning of the race but it wasn't and I'm really happy about that."
Pieterse said she aimed to be in first place on the first descent on the muddy and slippy course, and it turned out to be a race-winning moment.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
"I knew my descents would be good," she said after expertly negotiating the tricky off-camber drop, while Van Empel lost ground behind.
By the end of the opening lap, she was already 19 seconds to the good, and that ballooned on the following lap when almost everyone behind her crashed on another downhill - first Van Empel, then the chasing group of Van Anrooij, Denise Betsema and Aniek van Alphen.
From there, the gap continued to rise but the race settled into a rather predictable format, with Van Empel holding firm in second place while Van Anrooij won the only major battle - that for the final podium spot.
"My legs felt really heavy from the start," Van Empel said. "I chose to ride my own pace and I'm happy with second. Puck was outstanding."
Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions) placed fourth at 1:51, but was arguably better value than that result would suggest. She suffered some early mishaps but fought her way back through the field and produced an exhilarating late charge to take fourth place.
Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Alpecin-Deceuninck) couldn't back up her victory in Merksplas the previous day but nevertheless made the top five as the only other rider within two minutes of Pieterse.
Van Alphen was fifth, while Clara Honsinger was the top non-European and indeed top non-Dutchwoman, in 7th place at 2:16. Helene Clauzel was eight, while Inge van der Heijden and Denise Betsema rounded out the top 10 just over three minutes down.
In the overall World Cup standings, Van Empel's lead is secure after six rounds of competition. The Dutch youngster went to the USA and won both rounds before winning the first two on European soil and then finishing runner-up behind Van Anrooij last weekend.
Van Empel moves to 220 points, extending her lead to 90 points over Alvarado, while Pieterse - who did not race in the USA - moves up to third on 125 points.
Patrick is an NCTJ-accredited journalist with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages (French and Spanish) and a decade’s experience in digital sports media, largely within the world of cycling. He re-joined Cyclingnews as Deputy Editor in February 2026, having previously spent eight years on staff between 2015 and 2023. In between, he was Deputy Editor at GCN and spent 18 months working across the sports portfolio at Future before returning to the cycling press pack. Patrick works across Cyclingnews’ wide-ranging output, assisting the Editor in global content strategy, with a particular focus on shaping CN's news operation.
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider and Cyclingnews columnist details his time off the bike, why he's sad to say goodbye to the 2026 season, and why wind tunnel testing is both brutal and rewarding
