Puck Pieterse won the main race of the Mountain Bike World Cup in Val di Sole, Italy, on Sunday. The Dutch all-rounder also won the short race on Friday, marking a first for her.
Pieterse is the first woman to win both races in two consecutive World Cups. Two weeks ago, under tough conditions, she also won both the short and main races in Leogang, Austria.
In the warm Val di Sole, the 23-year-old Pieterse quickly took the lead. No one could follow the world champion, after which Pieterse soloed to victory. Samara Maxwell finished 26 seconds behind Pieterse in second place. Laura Stigger finished 44 seconds behind the Amersfoort native.
Pieterse spoke after a tough ordeal in the warm Val di Sole. “I saw at the beginning of the race that I quickly had a gap and went for it, although it was quite difficult to maintain focus,” she said shortly after the finish.
“The Italian fans always make so much noise. Fortunately, I was able to recover and maintain my lead. It was still thirty seconds in the last lap, which seems like a lot, but it isn’t. One mistake and it can be over.”
Pieterse in third place in the World Cup standings
Maxwell is still at the top of the World Cup standings. Pieterse skipped the first two World Cups because she was still riding road races. She is in third place. Nicole Keller is number two in the ranking.
In three weeks, the next World Cup race is on the program for Pieterse. She will then travel to Pal Arsinal in Romania.