Rising to the Top - Puck Pieterse’s amazing rainbow adventure
Exclusive interview: We chat with Puck Pieterse about the 2024 UCI Cross Country Mountain Bike World Championships, the Tour de France and her remaining goals for the season.
[Words by Steve Thomas]
After taking the 2024 UCI XCO Mountain Bike Championship title in Andorra a few weeks ago, the multi-talented 22-year-old Dutch racer Puck Pieterse is about to take on a whole new challenge or rather two, in aiming for both the UCI Road and Gravel World Championship titles. Given her amazing career so far, who would bet against her pulling the triple off?
- Retrospective: the evolution of Nino Schurter’s cross-country race bikes
- The Charlie Aldridge interview - UK's newest Olympic hope
- The Fabio Wibmer interview - living life on, and over the edge
We caught up with Puck as she switched her attention from flat to dropped bars in preparation for the imminent title bouts, and we also took a ride back with her through the recent Olympic and World Championship races.
The Olympic Games
off.road.cc: Going into the 2024 Paris Olympics, what were you expecting?
Puck Pieterse: Before the Olympics, there was a lot more pressure to handle than normal, and the course was a bit atypical. There was quite a lot of gravel and a short climb, so I knew that would be something for me – a constant effort, a bit like in cyclo-cross.
2024 Puck Pieterse 3.jpg, by Liam Mercer
Riders-wise, the first thing is that there are so few starters, and some countries with the best riders can only have two. The main contenders were all there but, behind that, we missed some big names and so I knew that for those main riders, it was theirs to lose, and that I would probably be a bit behind that.
ORCC: You made your move very early in the race, and ended up in front with two French riders – how did you play it tactically?
PP: After one lap or so we were already just three, and if there was something I didn’t want it was to be in this French sandwich. I knew that they would ride for each other, maybe leaving small gaps for me to close, or attack back-to-back. So, I decided that I would have to be the one to attack, and I did. From what I remember, I was already full gas, and then Pauline (Ferrand-Prevot) just came flying past and I was like “Okay, see you at the finish...”
At that moment I dropped Loana (I think) and rode at a pace I knew I could keep. But on that day, Pauline was so much stronger than everybody else. It wouldn’t make any difference if I tried something else or tried to stay on her wheel because, at any one moment, she would attack again anyway – otherwise, you don’t win by over three minutes.
ORCC: You looked all set to take the silver medal, and then things went wrong at the last moment, and you ended up fourth. Can you run us through it?
PP: It was just really stupid. I felt that I had a flat just after passing the pit zone, so I had to do half a lap on a completely flat tyre. Tom Pidcock also had a flat and he came back from it but, for him, it happened 50 meters before the pits and so he could directly go in and switch tyres.
2024 Puck Pieterse 2.jpg, by Liam Mercer
For me, I felt, yeah, maybe it’s not worth it anymore. But I kept pushing on the pace because I knew I was passing riders. I made up around 25 seconds, but it wasn’t enough to take a medal.
ORCC: How did you feel about missing a medal?
PP: Devastated, you already know that you messed up, and it’s not a nice feeling.
Becoming World Champion
ORCC: How did you turn that all around to win the World Championships a few weeks later?
PP: I think I could switch it and the feeling quite quick. I went directly from the Olympic Games to La Plagne, with the team, at an altitude camp for the Tour de France, but only for two days as they were already leaving. It was really nice to be with them and train.
2024 Puck Pieterse 5.jpg, by Liam Mercer
After that I went with my parents straight to Alpe d’Huez, to focus on training. The bike rides were pretty good – I did some long rides to clear my mind. I think that with having to focus directly on the Tour it was a bit easier to digest the Games.
For the Worlds, I had to believe that the Tour was good preparation for that because I knew a lot of people went from the Games to altitude to prepare for it. Looking back, I think it was really good for my mind to have the Tour to shift my focus for a bit.
I think after how the Olympics went, to go directly back to altitude to focus on the World Championships – a month is a bit long to stay motivated and focused. Because I could do the Tour, I had some natural training days and a short-term goal, and that was really good.
ORCC: Did you know that Pauline Ferrand-Prevot would be riding the World Championships and with going into the race and knowing the Olympic outcome, what was the game plan?
PP: Yeah, I knew she would be there. After the Tour, I was quite tired – and so I had an easy week. Then it was already the Worlds week, and so I didn’t know how I’d come out of the Tour. I just had to believe I did the right thing. For the whole week, I just tried to take it easy, and not be too focused on the race and other competitors, because that just takes so much energy.
It was a bit of a question mark for everybody as to how Pauline would be because she did quite a lot of media stuff after the race, and with being French that was even more so.
2024 Puck Pieterse 4.jpg, by Liam Mercer
The day before the race I made a kind of game plan – to start as fast as possible and see who would follow. I knew my start was always good, and then maybe I could really get some riders to blow themselves up, because at altitude if you make a bad start or put in a big effort, the chances of blowing up are quite high.
I hoped that Pauline wouldn’t have a good start, and she didn’t, and maybe that messed her race up. Of course, she wants to be at the front as early as possible, and after watching the race back, I saw she took back 20 seconds in less than half a lap, which is really impressive, as we were riding fast, but ultimately it was too much.
Changing horizons
ORCC: Where are you now?
PP: I’m in Livigno, I wanted to do one short altitude camp before the UCI Road World Championships. I arranged it myself, but there are also some teammates up here, and so we can work together, which is really nice.
ORCC: With you going for the Road and Gravel World Championships, it’s a big variation in styles and a lot to handle. Plus, it takes a lot to make the Dutch Road World Championship Team. Did you have an inkling earlier that you might go for this?
PP: After I won the Liege stage in the Tour, I felt “wow.” And after the Tour, I felt it was such a nice experience, and I know the Zurich course is a bit like the Liege stage, with the climbs. I felt a bit like I needed to go there and be in Zurich, so I gave the national coach a call. I think she already knew I would be calling and she was excited and said, “We’ll take you with us if you want.”
2024 Puck Pieterse 6.jpg, by Liam Mercer
I’m inquisitive and excited. With the Road, it’s not the “right” course that they give you every time for the World Championships; sometimes it’s a sprinter’s course, sometimes a climber’s course, and now we have something in between and, so this year, I think I have the form. The chance is there, and so I have to take the opportunity.
ORCC: How about the Gravel World Champs?
PP: At first, I was thinking I could do the Road World Championship and then fly to Canada for the Mountain Bike (World Cup). But I thought it was it was too much of a hassle, especially with the time difference. Everybody is already there a week before that and acclimatised, and so I thought the gravel worlds could be really something for me, maybe even more so that the road worlds.
I haven’t done any gravel racing yet but from what I’ve heard about the course it’s a bit like a long cyclo-cross race. I think I have an advantage on technicality with the road riders, and maybe an advantage on the gravel riders through my racing experience, and also with the shape I have.
