Puck Pieterse had to acknowledge Lucinda Brand as her superior in her first cyclo-cross races, but in the absence of the leader from Baloise Glowing Lions, the Dutch champion soloed to victory in Diegem. She was, of course, very satisfied with her first cyclo-cross win of this winter afterward.
"That’s good, isn't it," Pieterse begins with understatement in the flash interview with Sporza. "You always have to make it happen, especially during the Christmas period. That’s when most eyes are on cyclo-cross. I’m glad I was able to win a race again today."
Pieterse was chased hard along the way by Marie Schreiber, especially after the Dutch rider had a flat tire. What exactly happened? "I don’t know... I turned into the finishing area and immediately felt I had a flat tire."
"However, the gap to Marie had already grown somewhat at that moment, so she couldn’t really take advantage of it. It also wasn’t far to the pit stop, and the bike change went smoothly."
photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
Pieterse made the difference in the sandpit, but this was not her best section on the course. "I really only rode well through the sand once, but it was enough to create a gap. And I know from previous editions that it’s difficult to close a gap there. I was especially strong on the descents and in the plank section."
Telenet Superprestige Diegem| Rank | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 45:07 | |
| 2 | + 12 | |
| 3 | + 47 | |
| 4 | + 01:16 | |
| 5 | + 01:42 | |
| 6 | + 01:50 | |
| 7 | + 02:07 | |
| 8 | + 02:12 | |
| 9 | + 02:16 | |
| 10 | " |
| Rank | Rider | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Aniek van Alphen | 83 | |
| 2 | (1) |  Amandine Fouquenet | 76 |
| 3 | (1) | Inge van der Heijden | 62 |
| 4 | (1) | Hélène Clauzel | 51 |
| 5 | (2) | Marion Norbert Riberolle | 50 |
| 6 | (2) | Lucinda Brand | 44 |
| 7 | (1) | Julie Brouwers | 39 |
| 8 |  Kata Blanka Vas | 29 | |
| 8 |  Sara Casasola | 29 | |
| 10 | (4) |  Jolanda Neff | 27 |
