Puck Pieterse wins in Maasmechelen and warns ahead of the Cyclocross World Championship.

The Dutch rider Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) has claimed victory at the CX World Cup in Maasmechelen, delivering a solid performance on a fast, technical circuit with constant changes in pace. Pieterse was able to read the race from the early laps and sealed her triumph by taking advantage of the breakdown of her main rival of the day.

Puck Pieterse wins in Maasmechelen and sends a warning to her rivals for the World Championship

The race was soon influenced by the discreet performance of Lucinda Brand, who is already the mathematical winner of the overall World Cup standings. The Dutch rider had a complicated day from the very start of the reconnaissance, with a previous fall and an ineffective start that relegated her to the back positions. Although she made progress as the laps went on, she never entered the fight for the podium and finished in tenth place.

With Brand out of contention, the battle for victory focused on Pieterse and the French rider Amandine Fouquenet, who engaged in an intense head-to-head for much of the race. However, everything was decided on the penultimate lap when Fouquenet suffered a flat tire that left her without options. From there, Pieterse rode solo to secure her second victory of the season, the first in the World Cup, following her earlier win in Diegem.

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Behind her, Ceylin Alvarado took advantage of the French rider's problems to claim second place, while Fouquenet managed to hold on to third despite the breakdown. The Italian Sara Casasola once again delivered a consistent performance to enter the top 5.

The result strengthens Pieterse's candidacy for the World Championship, just before the final preparation race in Hoogerheide. In Brand's case, her tenth place does not alter the outcome of the overall standings, which she secured last week, but it leaves some questions about her form after a demanding training load.

Top 10 – CX World Cup Maasmechelen

1. Puck Pieterse (NED / Alpecin-Premier Tech) – 47:33
2. Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (NED / Fenix-Premier Tech) at 0:10
3. Amandine Fouquenet (FRA / Pauwels Sauzen) at 0:11
4. Sara Casasola (ITA / Crelan-Corendon) at 0:22
5. Kristýna Zemanová (CZE / Vif Cycling) at 0:37
6. Blanka Vas (HUN / SD Worx-Protime) at 0:45
7. Marion Norbert Riberolle (BEL / Crelan-Corendon) at 0:52
8. Zoe Bäckstedt (GBR / Canyon-SRAM) at 0:55
9. Shirin van Anrooij (NED / Baloise Verzekeringen) at 0:55
10. Lucinda Brand (NED / Baloise Verzekeringen) at 0:56