Puck Pieterse won the 2022 U23 Women’s Cyclo-cross World Championship in Fayetteville after crossing first the finish line in 46 minutes and 27 seconds and beating her teammate Shirin van Anooij.
It was a nail-biting race characterized by the Dutch riders’ dominance, as Pieterse, van Anooij and Fem van Empel were in the lead almost throughout the six laps. The podium was completely Dutch, completed by van Empel who arrived third.
“It was such a weird race really. We kept overtaking each other and no one could get away. I had a plan to go away on the big climb,” Pieterse said in an interview after winning the rainbow jersey. “I didn’t know I had it at first, it was really close. I am glad we could get on the podium with three girls.”
In Fayetteville, the 19-year-old Alpecin-FENIX rider demonstrated once more the hard work and determination that she has shown consistently throughout the season. While she had been eight times on the podium and won theU23 GC in the World Cup, Sunday’s World Championship was her first victory of the 2021-2022 CX season.
