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Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) dominated the elite girls’s race from begin to end to win the mid-week Superprestige Diegem on Wednesday.
In what was an almost flawless efficiency, Pieterse soloed to the win forward of Shirin van Anrooij (Baloise Trek Lions) in second at 30 seconds again and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Alpecin-Deceuninck) in third at 1:02.
“At a sure level, I seen that Shirin was getting shut, and I began to emphasize … I made a decision to go full steam forward,” Pieterse stated in a post-race interview, noting that she took the early lead on the primary lap however started to fret when she realized Van Anrooij had almost closed the hole partway via the race.
“Typically, I am trying ahead to it a lot, and I begin a bit of too arduous, then you definately simply must maintain going.”
The way it unfolded
The third day of cyclocross racing in a row this week, after the World Cup in Gavere and Superprestige Heusden-Zolder, Superprestige Diegem supplied an evening race.
Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado and her Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate Puck Pieterse took off onto the highly-technical and well-lit circuit that was held within the darkness of the early night in entrance of tons of of native followers.
Pieterse, with 5 wins out of 12 race begins, opened an early lead on the primary lap as the sphere behind powered via the mud in a heated chase.
Inge van der Heijden (777) raced via the tip of the primary lap at 16 seconds again, adopted by Alvarado at 17 seconds again, Shirin van Anrooij (Baloise Trek Lions) at 19 seconds, Kata Vas (SD Worx) at 24 seconds and Denise Betsema (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) at 26 seconds.
On lap two, new chasers Betsema and Alvarado reconnected alongside the circuit as Zoe Backstedt (EF Schooling-TIBCO-SVB) desperately tried to shut the hole.
Racing via the beginning of the third lap, Pieterse maintained a 10-second lead forward of lone chaser Van Anrooij, who nearly flawlessly glided alongside the trickier sections of the circuit.
Twenty-four seconds again, Alvarado and Van der Heijden settled right into a two-rider rhythm whereas Betsema struggled to stick with the pair, using within the fifth place. And barely additional again the trio of Vas, Backstedt and Silvia Persico (Valcar Journey & Service).
The wind picked up, creating added issue to the race, however Pieterse pushed her lead out ever so barely, making it even more durable for Van Anrooij to fully shut the hole that hovered at seven seconds. Nonetheless, the following chase teams continued to lose time, racing at additional 30 seconds again.
As Pieterse held her blistering tempo, Van Anrooij appeared to point out indicators of fatigue when the hole opened to 13 seconds with one lap to go.
On the final lap, Pieterse celebrated her sixth win of the season, having fun with the crowds and giving high-5s alongside the end line immediately, whereas a powerful efficiency from Van Anrooij ended with a second place at 30 seconds again.
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