Final Might, Puck Pieterse burst onto the elite mountain bike scene with a marvellous victory in her first-ever elite UCI Mountain Bike World Cup race.
The day after her twenty first birthday, Pieterse staged an assault within the remaining lap of the cross-country Olympic (XCO) race in Nové Město na Moravě which noticed her take her first elite mountain bike gold medal, forward of World Champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot.
She was topped XCO European Champion in June earlier than happening to take silver and bronze on the World Championships in August within the cross-country brief monitor (XCC) and XCO disciplines respectively.
Quick ahead to the tip of the mountain bike season, and he or she’s decimated the general standings in each the UCI XCO World Cup and UCI XCC World Cup with 4 victories and an extra six top-three finishes.
What got here subsequent for the burgeoning mountain bike star? Cyclocross, in fact. The self-discipline during which she has already beforehand achieved elite Nationwide and U23 European and World titles.
After such a powerful 2023 mountain bike season, Pieterse felt it was essential to have differentiation between the 2 disciplines earlier than she began her cyclocross account, which resulted in her taking just a few weeks to reset earlier than her first race of the season.
“Earlier than the mountain bike season, I did not actually know the place I might stand. I used to be actually blissful about the way it went, it nearly could not have gone any higher. It actually put issues into perspective that I could be up there with the extent that the others have,” Pieterse instructed Cyclingnews.
“It was good to have a transparent separation between the 2 seasons as a result of in any other case, it’s kind of such as you’re simply happening and on. My kind was nonetheless fairly good, it wasn’t that I used to be too drained to nonetheless race or prepare however I feel it was good to have some separation between the 2 and cargo up the batteries a bit mentally to proceed racing and it got here in fairly useful.”
In the direction of the tip of 2023, Fenix-Deceuninck named Pieterse because the chief of their girls’s group competing throughout cyclocross and mountain biking, in a step in direction of a ‘multidisciplinary philosophy’ for the group.
Pieterse’s private ambitions within the completely different disciplines stay on the centre of the scheduling of her calendar for the 12 months, and the group enable her to have autonomy in selecting a path that most closely fits her.
“We focus on firstly of every season what the objectives are, what I need, what they need, after which we see what’s good,” she explains. “We all the time look a bit at the way it goes as properly. Final mountain bike season, if I wasn’t doing properly within the World Cup standings I in all probability would have had a shorter mountain bike season, I would not have gone to the States and I might have began for instance my ‘cross season earlier.
“All through the season we all the time see the way it goes and what’s good. Often firstly we simply make a plan after which we are able to actually make an outline of match all the things in however they simply give me numerous freedom which is very nice. They provide me the total freedom to decide on to do the identical or one thing completely different. I’ve been in a position to actually select my very own programme.”
The flip of the New Yr introduced two clear objectives for Pieterse on the mountain bike and ‘cross circuits, whereas the larger image for the years to come back stays undetermined.
“For this season for ‘cross, it is undoubtedly the Worlds in Tábor firstly of February. As for the highway, I do not actually know. I do not actually know for the upcoming years for instance if I’ll lean extra in direction of the highway or will keep on the mountain bike, I am going to nonetheless should see,” she stated.
“For now, the main focus is absolutely on the ‘cross Worlds and after that the Olympics on the mountain bike. Then I am going to see how I’ll proceed, possibly I’ll do a season extra on the highway to see how I like that, or possibly I am going to make a mixture of the 2; highway and mountain bike. I do not actually know but the place I’ll find yourself.”
Pieterse is a part of a very sturdy triumvirate of younger Dutch riders who’re turning their hand to a number of disciplines and pushing one another to new heights within the course of.
Amongst others, elite cyclocross World Champion Fem van Empel (Visma-Lease A Bike) offers sturdy competitors for Pieterse, as does U23 cyclocross World Champion Shirin van Anrooij (Baloise Trek Lions). The 2 compete throughout each cyclocross and highway biking, a self-discipline during which Pieterse additionally competed final 12 months and secured fifth place at Strade Bianche and one we may even see her characteristic in additional frequently in future.
“We are able to solely make one another stronger,” she says about competing towards Van Empel. “The way it’s been for the final 12 months for instance and the 12 months earlier than, it’s extremely good to maintain seeing one another and maintain competing towards one another since you maintain one another sharp as properly. Additionally with Shirin as properly, you race your race however you all the time race a bit towards one another within the race as properly. It is actually a great dynamic I feel to make one another stronger in that means.
“I do know now how Fem races, I understand how Shirin races. That is useful in fact, however moreover the racing, we are able to actually discuss to one another fairly properly. We’re really buddies, so if I need some suggestions if I am happening the highway I might undoubtedly ask Shirin what I may anticipate for instance.”
In girls’s biking, the likes of Ferrand-Prévot and Marianne Vos have blazed a path for contemporary multi-discipline careers. Pieterse credit their influence in addition to highlighting different present riders who encourage multidisciplinary success.
“For certain, they’re each nice pioneers of the game in fact. It is extra of an inspiration, you’ll be able to see that it’s doable, identical with Mathieu [van der Poel], Wout [van Aert], [Tom] Pidcock, all of them make combos of the disciplines. They present that it is not unimaginable to mix disciplines or that you simply actually have to decide on. After all, you need to make some good choices typically, like this ‘cross season I skipped the Europeans as a result of I used to be resting from mountain bike. You’ll be able to’t all the time carry out at your high degree, but it surely’s for certain doable to do nice issues between the disciplines I feel,” she says.
“It makes full riders, and also you see increasingly more the combos,” she provides. “Cross and highway is a very standard mixture, however I additionally see within the mountain biking group there are increasingly more riders that additionally wish to do possibly one thing on the highway or expertise one thing within the winter in ‘cross. It’s changing into increasingly more standard to do a couple of factor.
“It is also all the time very nice that you’ve got a little bit of overlap between the riders within the completely different disciplines. In the summertime you see completely different riders than in winter, or some riders you see on a regular basis which can be good. It is actually good to have a giant group of individuals you’ll be able to have a little bit of enjoyable with and discuss to. Each rider that does particularly the mountain bike World Cups as a result of it’s that a lot in all places that they simply like to journey.”
Pieterse’s expertise throughout a number of disciplines was nurtured from a younger age and as such has meant that it grew to become second nature for her to mix the three as she matured.
“My dad all the time went into the forest once I was youthful, so finally I went just a few instances with him. At my native membership, there wasn’t something mountain bike associated, they solely had highway racing and a little bit of ‘cross within the winter. Once I began to essentially compete at first it was simply highway after which within the winter cyclo-cross. Inside two years I began to do extra mountain biking once more with the races as properly, however as a result of it wasn’t actually supported within the membership the place I used to be, it was a bit much less. From below 17, I began doing extra mountain biking and fewer highway,” she explains.
“For me, it is so regular to do all three, it would not be regular for me to do for instance solely highway or mountain biking or concentrate on ‘cross all summer time. I do not understand how others do it or how they really feel about it however for me, it is all the time been regular so I do not actually have to consider it or in regards to the strain or something, it is simply the way it has all the time been since I began competing,” she provides.
There definitely appears to be a shiny future forward for Pieterse in no matter path she chooses. She continues to try for an elite rainbow jersey after ending second in cyclo-cross final 12 months and will likely be vying to take the World title from rival Van Empel this 12 months on 3 February earlier than concentrating on the Paris 2024 Olympics on a mountain bike in July.
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