Puck Pieterse takes advantage of Lucinda Brand's absence and wins the Superprestige of Diegem

Puck Pieterse claims her first victory of the 2025/26 season after a late start with a comfortable win at the night cyclocross in Diegem, the sixth event of the Superprestige. A comfortable victory that the Dutch rider secured with her excellent technique.

Puck Pieterse continues to improve her form and achieves a comfortable victory in Diegem

Unquestionable victory for Puck Pieterse in the absence of Lucinda Brand. Pieterse only needed a lap and a half to seal the traditional night race in Diegem, one of the most iconic images of each cyclocross season.

The race started off chaotically for Inge van der Heijden, who tried to advance positions on the inside of the first turn but ended up crashing hard onto the ground, having to retire early visibly in pain.

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Pieterse started strong and was joined by the Luxembourg champion, whose jersey was almost indistinguishable from that of the Dutch champion worn by Fenix-Deceuninck's Marie Schreiber. Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado was trying to catch up from behind, and a little further back was Jolanda Neff, initially riding with the two leaders, but losing positions to be caught by Van Alphen and Blanka Vas. All of this happened in just one lap, and the race was already completely broken.

However, midway through the second lap, at the very typical sandbank of the Diegem cyclocross circuit, Puck Pieterse managed to ride over it with total ease while her companions struggled. She thus gained a gap of about 5 seconds, achieved practically for free, which she would not waste. She accelerated the pace and did not stop until the finish line, gradually consolidating her lead.

And even though in the penultimate lap Pieterse suffered a flat tire that forced her to change bikes, suddenly the comfortable lead she had maintained vanished in an instant, creating moments of excitement when it seemed that Schreiber could catch up to the front. However, the Dutch rider quickly regained her rhythm and put enough distance between herself and the others to cross the finish line as the winner.

We did not see a battle for second place as, in the third lap, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado got stuck, perhaps due to a mechanical issue, and Marie Schreiber opened a comfortable gap in pursuit of Pieterse. Behind, Blanka Vas was left alone and tried to catch up to Alvarado to reach the podium, but ultimately the race became long for the Hungarian, and she did not achieve her goal.

Superprestige Diegem Classification

1. Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) 45'08''
2. Marie Schreiber (SD Worx-Protime) +11''
3. Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Fenix-Deceuninck) +47''
4. Kata Blanka Bas (SD Worx-Protime) +1'15''
5. Jolanda Neff (Cannondale Factory Racing) +1'41''
6. Rebecca Gariboldi (Ale-Colnago) +1'50''
7. Aniek van Alphen (Seven Racing) +2'07''
8. Line Burquier (AS Bike) +2'12''
9. Letizia Borghesi (Aromitalia-Basso Bikes-Vaiano) +2'16''
10. Larissa Hartog (Orange Babies) +2'16''