Puck Pieterse won the main race of the mountain bike World Cup in Leogang, Austria on Sunday. It was a boost for the Dutch all-rounder on the bike after her flat tire in Nové Mesto two weeks ago.
Pieterse already won the short race in Leogang on Friday and was also the strongest in the race over six laps. The 23-year-old world champion rode away from the competition early on the muddy course and eventually crossed the finish line 50 seconds ahead of number two Samara Maxwell.
Two weeks ago, Pieterse rode her first World Cup race of the season in Nové Mesto, Czech Republic. She then won the short race and also got off to a good start in the main race.
In the leading position, Pieterse suffered a flat tire. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider lost a lot of time and finished thirteenth. It was a déjà vu for Pieterse to last summer, when she missed an Olympic medal due to a flat tire.
More than a month after the Olympic drama, Pieterse still gave her mountain bike season shine by winning the world title. The Amersfoort native was crowned world champion for the first time in Andorra.