Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) was at home in the muddy conditions in Les Gets as she powered her way to a dominant victory at the final World Cup XCO round before the Paris Olympics.
Jenny Rissveds (Team 31 Ibis) and Rebecca Henderson (Primaflor Mondraker) found themselves at the front off the line as the course immediately tilted up the mountain. Pieterse quickly made her way to the front and immediately gained 6 seconds on the rest of the field.
Pieterse continued to open up the gap, gaining a 35-second advantage heading into the second lap. Behind her in second was Scott-SRAM’s Kate Courtney followed by Henderson, Alessandra Keller (Thömus maxon), Anne Terpstra (Ghost Factory Racing), and Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing).
Keller moved up into second and sought to reel Pieterse back in, but the gap only grew, reaching more than 50 seconds by the end of the second lap. At the start of lap three, privateer Candice Lill had moved into second and gained about 15s on Keller who continued on in third.
For a few laps, the time gaps between first and third remained relatively steady. By lap four, Rissveds and Terpstra were looking like the top candidates for fourth place.
As the race wore on, Pieterse only extended her gap. The last last lap gave some trouble with the Dutch rider tabbing her food in sections, but she still managed to keep a 2:37 gap on Lill with Keller 30s behind that for third place.
Brief analysis
- Pieterse looked very much at home riding in the mud. On at least one occasion, she was forced to dismount, but her cyclocross background made for a flawless run and remount. Pieterse’s strategy of hitting the front early paid off, avoiding any jockeying for position or being held up by riders struggling in the slippery conditions. She tried a similar strategy during Friday’s XCC race, but the longer XCO provided a better opportunity for the Dutchwoman to ride away from the field.
- Courtney showed promise early on, but faded throughout the race. That’s been a common theme for the American, who missed out on Team USA selection for the upcoming Olympics.
- An open grassy corner consistently proved tricky for many riders. The mud meant there was virtually no grip, meaning there were crashes and many near-misses for women throughout the field.
- Lill once again impressed. The South African rides as a privateer with no team support, though that will more than likely change if she continues on this trajectory.
Top 10 results:
- Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
- Candice Lill +2:37
- Alessandra Keller (Thömus maxon) +3:07
- Jenny Rissveds (Team 31 Ibis) +3:38
- Anne Terpstra (Ghost Factory Racing) +4:14
- Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing-Pirelli) +4:30
- Savilia Blunk (Decathlon Ford) +5:22
- Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing) +5:39
- Caroline Bohé (Ghost Factory Racing) +5:41
- Mona Mitterwallner (Cannondale Factory Racing) +6:01
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