Puck Pieterse rides the perfect race to win the XCO World Cup in Les Gets

Puck Pieterse takes the victory in the Les Gets XCO World Cup. The Dutchwoman escaped in the first lap and sustained the attack in a brutal display of superiority to increase the lead in every lap. Candice Lill finished second and Allesandra Keller third, after both rode solo for a good part of the race.

Puck Pieterse signs an exemplary victory in the Les Gets XCO World Cup 

The XCO World Cup arrived in Les Gets as the final showdown before the Paris 2024 Olympics. The race started with the notable absence of Pauline Ferrand-Prevot and on a heavy track due to the rain that had fallen previously on the French course. The start was clean and led to a calm beginning in which the sixty-six riders called to the start line studied the real condition of the track. Jenny Rissveds took the lead of the day while all the top contenders positioned themselves behind her.

The Swede handed over the lead to Puck Pieterse in the toughest part of the circuit. The Dutchwoman increased the pace in a disguised attack: what seemed like a simple change of pace turned into a brutal attack impossible to respond to for anyone.

Pieterse's pedal strokes caused damage from the beginning and subjected her rivals to a constant bleeding of seconds. 6 seconds. 20 seconds. 30 seconds. Meanwhile, Henderson and Courtney joined forces to counter the unleashed offensive of Puck. Keller's exhausting effort closed the gap with the two leading students, dragged Lill along, and the chasing group was formed by these four riders.

Keller's arrival added an extra point of strength. The Swiss rider raised the stakes in the utopian attempt to close the gap with a rampant Pieterse. Keller's attacks preceded the fall of Courtney -who joined Gibson and Blochlinger, who had already kissed the wet ground of the French course-, sinking to eighth place.

However, it was Lill who managed to break away from her travel companions and ventured into a solo chase.

The new pass through the finish line served to stabilize Pieterse's lead at 50 seconds. The advantage was encouraging, but the ghosts of excessive energy expenditure at the start of the race -as happened in the Short Track- prevented overconfidence.

The top three positions were secured: Pieterse, Lill, and Keller solidified their positions in no man's land, while the battle moved to the legs of Terpstra, Richards, Rissveds, and Henderson, who fought for the last two podium spots. 

As the kilometers passed, the fight for the fourth position cooled down and Rissveds managed to distance herself from Terpstra who, at the same time, distanced herself from Richards. The race then entered a forced truce due to the significant differences separating the front runners 

The battles from a distance were fought in silence, with the hope of scraping the necessary seconds to catch up with the bike ahead. Pieterse maintained the lead in a display of superiority that continued to add seconds to her cause. The Dutchwoman continued her impressive show of strength and subjected her rivals to an unstoppable hemorrhage of lost meters.

And so, without unexpected twists, Puck Pieterse rode to the finish line to raise her arms and win the Les Gets XCO World Cup. The first Sunday crown she achieves after the victories in Val di Sole and Crans Montana in XCC. With the uncertainty of what would have happened with Ferrand-Prevot in the race, the Dutch candidacy for the Olympics is inevitably strengthened.

Candice Lill, Alessandra Keller, Jenny Rissveds, and Anne Tersptra completed the podium, all riding solo.

Les Gets 2024 XCO World Cup Results - Women

1. Puck Pieterse 1h 29' 12"
2. Candice Lill +2'37"
3. Alessandra Keller +3'07"
4. Jenny Rissveds +3'38"
5. Anne Terpstra +4'14"
6. Evie Richards +4'30"
7. Savilia Blunk +5'22"
8. Laura Stigger +5'39"
9. Carolina Bohé +5'41"
10. Mona Mitterwallner +6'01"