CYCLO-CROSS

Puck Pieterse made history on Sunday as she won her first elite MTB World Championships, becoming the first Dutch woman to ever win the rainbow jersey in a XCO event.  

“I cannot comprehend it yet! I wrote at my own pace from the start, and I thought ‘I need to go all in if I want to win this’. I kept pushing and apparently it was enough. My first elite world title, and I’m just so happy,” said Puck in a post race interview. 

The 22-year-old rider dominated from the start the Olympic Cross-country race, crossing the finish line with a lead of 59-second ahead of her Dutch teammate Anne Terpstra and Italian Martina Berta. The 4-km course in Pal Arinsal, Andorra, required five laps that she completed in one hour, nine minutes and forty-one seconds. 

Puck adds this victory to an already impressive season, in which she won the European mountain bike title and three World Cup races. It also follows the disappointment at the Paris Olympic games where she missed the podium after a puncture two laps before the finish. 

Puck Pieterse finished second the Dutch National Cyclocross Championship in the muddy course of Hoogeveen. From the start, the FENIX-Deceuninck rider and defending champion battled Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions), who ultimately won the national title by extending its lead to 45 seconds after Pieterse slipped in the fourth and last lap.

“It wasn’t my best race,” said the 21-year-old cyclist to specialized media WielerFlits. “I had a good start and rode where I wanted to, but Lucinda was a bit faster today. You could see that she had a bit more power, especially on the straights. You always have to have confidence, but I don’t think I came into the race in my best shape.”

Anemarie Worts (Cyclocross Reds) swooped in to take the bronze medal, surprising Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Alpecin-Deceuninck), who crossed the finish line in fourth position. FENIX-Deceuninck rider Yara Kastelijn finished 8^th.

Sanne Cant set an unprecedent record on Saturday when she claimed the Belgian National Cyclocross Championship title for the 15^th consecutive year. In a muddy and battled race, the Crelan-Corendon rider outsmarted Laura Verdonschot (De Ceuster – Bonache) in a final sprint in Meulebeke.

Her teammate Marion Norbert Riberolle completed the podium while FENIX-Deceuninck’s Marthe Truyen and Julie De Wilde crossed the finish line in 10^th and 15^th positions, respectively.

In an interview with Belgian media Sporza, Cant hinted that she is considering retiring after next year’s season. “I’m probably at the start of my last Belgian Championship. So, I’m really going to enjoy it. I will certainly take the time to think back on all the wonderful things, but I would like to win that 15th. That’s the intention, otherwise I wouldn’t have started today. I’m going to do everything I can.”

The Belgian National Cyclocross Championship Elite women category was introduced in 2001 and has been held yearly since. Cant, who rides with FENIX-Deceuninck during the road season, has won 15 of the 24 editions.

Ryan Kamp will no longer be riding in the black outfit he wore for the first week and a half of 2024. Starting at the Dutch National Cyclocross Championships, which will take place in Hoogeveen on Saturday 14, he will be sporting the iconic FENIX Verde Comodoro colour.

At the beginning of the year, Italian bike manufacturer Colnago and component producer Campagnolo ensured that Kamp could remain a pro rider on an individual basis. Now, FENIX is joining Kamp as a first jersey sponsor.

“As an Italian brand, we are proud to support this new FENIX project. It has an innovative approach and relies on Made-in-Italy partners. We are excited to be part of the development and growth of this young and talented rider,” said Stefano Mion, CEO of Arpa Industriale, the company that created FENIX innovative materials for interior design.

Italian shoe supplier Sidi and clothing manufacturer Alé, who made the iconic Verde Comodoro outfit, are supporting the project built around Kamp.

Two days after the great first victory of the season in the UCI Cyclo Cross World Cup (here the news), Puck Pietersen won the penultimate round of the Superprestige series in Diegem, Belgium.

“It went really well, and so I’m happy about that,” Pieterse said at the finish line.

The Dutch champion closed the race in 47:06, just 27 seconds ahead of the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado. Inge van der Heijden (Crelan-Corendon) finished in third position more than 34 seconds back. It was an authoritative performance by Pieterse who immediately separated from the other riders during the first lap, and didn’t have difficulties for the rest of the race. The Superprestige Diegem was held under the evening lights and many people came out to watch what was later called “the Puck Pieterse nighttime show.”

The FENIX-Deceuninck rider demonstrated to be in a magical moment. She has been consistent throughout the season, making it hard for other athletes to defeat her.

After seven consecutive podiums, Puck Pieterse took a great victory at the women’s elite Cyclo-Cross World Cup race in Gavere, Belgium.With a strong performance, the FENIX-Deceuninck rider crossed first the finish line in 55’ 09” ahead of Fem van Empel (Jumbo-Visma) and her former teammate Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Alpecin-Deceuninck). On the first two laps, the Dutch champion battled with Ceylin until she pushed ahead to go solo and build a gap over the rest of the group. A small but crucial advantage which led Puck to win the race. Alvarado was in second place for much of the race but was overtaken by Van Empel just on the final lap.

“It feels great to be back on top, especially on such a tough course,” said Pieterse immediately after the race. “Of course, I’m really happy, I really wanted to win and when it works out it’s the best.”

Her FENIX-Deceuninck teammates congratulated Puck who,for sure, deserved it after such a great accomplishment!

She did it again. On the French roads of Troyes, Puck Pieterse crossed the finish line second, in what was  her second race with the new FENIX-Deceuninck jersey. 2 races, 2 second places: not bad at all!

Pieterse was back in action after taking a month’s break.The Dutch rider  immediately proved to be in perfect condition. With a great performance she was able to finish just 21 seconds apart from Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado of Alpecin-Deceuninck.

Other two athletes, who do road racing on with FENIX- Deceuninck, also managed top 10 results in Troyes: Inge van der Heijdenm obatianed 5^th place while Annemarie Worst finished in 7^th position. Both the riders take part to the cyclo-cross races with different teams, Crelan-Coredon and Cyclocross Reds, respectively.

Thanks to the performances of the riders of Ciclismo Mundial teams, which includes FENIX- Deceuninck,  the 2023 Cyclo-Cross season is becoming very exiting. We can’t wait to see how the next race will unfold!

Puck Pieterse had her debut with the new FENIX-Deceuninck jersey in the first race of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, and what a wonderful race it was. The Dutch rider crossed second the finish line of the Waterloo circuit, in Wisconsin, USA, just behind her fellow countrywoman Fem Van Empel.

“I made a number of mistakes in the initial phase, my cross technique clearly let me down. It’s only been a week since I was on the MTB, which is difficult,” said the 21-year-old Dutch national champion in her post-race interview.

Congratulation Puck, we are sure that this is only the beginning of a successful season! We are all very curious to follow the next Cyclo-cross challenges and view the performances of all the FENIX-Deceuninck riders.

The exciting winter duel between the two cyclocross titans, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert, came to an end on Sunday in Hoogerheide, Netherlands. Van der Poel managed to outsprint his rival and conquered the fifth golden medal of his career in men’s elite category.

With this victory, the Alpecin-Deceuninck team leader is officially the UCI Cyclocross World Champion. “I think if you take one of us two away, then it makes the races less interesting for sure. It was a good battle against Wout who is really hard to beat, so I’m happy,” van der Poel said.

Another long-disputed battle was fought on Hoogerheid ground between Puck Pieterse and Fem van Empel. After a new head-to-head race on Saturday, the 21-years-old Alpecin-Deceuninck rider achieved the silver podium in her first elite of Cyclocross World Championship.

“There were a few laps that we were looking at each other and seeing where the rest was riding but Fem and I kept the pace high,” Pieterse argued. “It comes down to the details and the form on the day. We had some great battles this season, every race is different of course.”

Getting the best out of a close battle with his rival Wout van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel conquered on Sunday the first place at UCI Cyclocross World Cup in Benidorm.

“To win is always super nice, but in the end, I think it was just a really nice race. It was quite dangerous, slippery and really difficult to ride faster than we were doing. In the end, it was a great battle against Wout. I’m really happy to win,” said the Alpecin-FENIX team captain after his victory in Spain.

The same day, another exciting duel was fought in Benidorm between Fem van Empel and Puck Pieterse. In the final lap of the women course, van Empel got a terrific acceleration that only Pieterse could keep up with. It ended with the silver podium for the Alpecin- Deceuninck rider, who followed van Empel by 3 seconds.

“Fem and I made really good race until the end. She was just a tiny bit better today,” Pieterse commented.