Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech) attacked on the final lap to win the Hoogerheide World Cup by six seconds over Kristýna Zemanová (VIF Cycling Team) in the season's final World Cup race.
Results
Hoogerheide • Jan 25 • 18.5km
| Pos | Rider | NATNationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 |  Puck Pieterse | NED | 0:51:54 |
| 🥈 |  Kristýna Zemanová | CZE | +0:06 |
| 🥉 |  Amandine Fouquenet | FRA | +0:10 |
| 4 |  Zoe Backstedt | GBR | +0:11 |
| 5 | Shirin van Anrooij | NED | +0:18 |
| 6 |  Viktória Chladoňová | SVK | +0:29 |
| 7 |  Sara Casasola | ITA | +0:33 |
| 8 | Inge van der Heijden | NED | +0:35 |
| 9 | Rebecca Gariboldi | ITA | +0:37 |
| 10 |  Marion Norbert Riberolle | BEL | +0:38 |
| 11 | Fleur Moors | BEL | +0:39 |
| 12 | Aniek van Alphen | NED | +0:46 |
| 13 | Julie Brouwers | BEL | +0:48 |
| 14 | Hélène Clauzel | FRA | +0:49 |
| 15 | Manon Bakker | NED | +0:51 |
| 16 | Leonie Bentveld | NED | +0:55 |
| 17 | Célia Gery | FRA | +1:44 |
| 18 |  Lidia Cusack | USA | +1:49 |
| 19 | Alicia Franck | BEL | +1:52 |
| 20 | Amandine Muller | FRA | +1:59 |
| 21 | Bloeme Kalis | NED | +2:02 |
| 22 | Kiona Crabbé | BEL | +2:07 |
| 23 |  Marie Schreiber | LUX | +2:10 |
| 24 |  Sidney Mcgill | CAN | +2:10 |
| 25 | Alyssa Sarkisov | USA | +2:12 |
| 26 | Denise Betsema | NED | +2:28 |
| 27 |  Sofia Rodriguez Revert | ESP | +2:34 |
| 28 | Lison Desprez | FRA | +2:38 |
| 29 | Larissa Hartog | NED | +2:38 |
| 30 | Elisa Ferri | ITA | +2:40 |
| 31 | Rafaelle Carrier | CAN | +2:46 |
| 32 | Katherine Sarkisov | USA | +2:48 |
| 33 |  Kata Blanka Vas | HUN | +2:48 |
| 34 | Liv Wenzel | LUX | +2:50 |
| 35 | Mia Aseltine | USA | +2:53 |
| 36 | Puck Langenbarg | NED | +3:03 |
| 37 | Shanyl de Schoesitter | BEL | +3:24 |
| 38 | Maghalie Rochette | CAN | +3:31 |
| 39 | Lauriane Duraffourg | FRA | +3:38 |
| 40 | Vida Lopez de San Roman | USA | +3:46 |
| 41 | Lucia Bramati | ITA | +4:04 |
| 42 | Xan Crees | GBR | +4:16 |
| 43 | Amálie Gottwaldová | CZE | +4:19 |
| 44 | Emeline Detilleux | BEL | +4:20 |
| 45 | Lucia Gonzalez Blanco | ESP | +4:33 |
| 46 |  Zuzanna Krzystala | POL | +4:34 |
| 47 | Kaya Musgrave | USA | +4:46 |
| 48 | Jinse Peeters | BEL | +4:52 |
| 49 | Lorena Patiño Villanueva | ESP | +4:53 |
| 50 | Anna Megale | USA | +4:59 |
| 51 | Nico Knoll | CAN | +5:10 |
| 52 | Maïté Barthels | LUX | +5:43 |
| 53 | Perrine Clauzel | FRA | +6:31 |
| 54 |  Nadja Heigl | AUT | +6:42 |
| 55 | Xenna de Bruyckere | BEL | +6:58 |
| 56 |  Mille Nielsen | DEN | +7:03 |
| 57 | Ann-Dorthe Lisbygd | DEN | +7:04 |
| 58 |  Tomke Windelband | GER | +7:13 |
| 59 | Lauren Zoerner | USA | +7:16 |
| 60 | Layla Barthels | LUX | +7:18 |
| 61 |  Thea Persson | SWE | +7:35 |
| 62 | Kaija Budde | GER | +7:56 |
| 63 | Dorothee Perron | CAN | - |
| 64 | Diana Steffenhagen | GER | - |
| 65 | Camille Devigne | FRA | - |
| 66 | Julia-Katharina Pfeil | GER | - |
| 67 | Friederike Michels | GER | - |
World Cup leader Lucinda Brand (Baloise Verzekeringen - Het Poetsbureau Lions) decided to skip the World Cup finale at short notice after her 10th at Maasmechelen, but confident in the knowledge she had secured the overall World Cup victory already. That left the remaining contenders to shape the race.
Twenty riders entered lap five together on the dry, fast Hoogerheide circuit, which offered few natural selection points. At times a selection formed, including on lap 5 where Sara Casasola, Pieterse and Amandine Fouquenet broke clear.
The leading trio didn't last long as Casasola slipped out, and the remaining laps were led by a consistent group of around seven key contenders.
Pieterse spent the remaining laps assessing where she was faster than her rivals and consistently gained time where the course twisted. Through a mixture of equipment choice and technical skill, she managed to make her killer move on a critical corner after the course's steep pink bridge – gapping her rivals and sealing the race win.
Key moments
- Lap 5: Sara Casasola crashes hard exiting the "stairway to heaven", collecting Marion Norbert Riberolle. Both lose significant time, Casasola forced to pit for a bike change
- Lap 6: Amandine Fouquenet moves into the lead when Pieterse's rear wheel slides out on a descent. The Frenchwoman briefly leads by two seconds before the group closes the gap
- Final lap: Pieterse attacked after the pink bridge, in the corner where she had been gaining time throughout the race. Her 7:07 circuit was four seconds faster than anyone else managed all day
Zemanová's second place marks a career-best World Cup result for the Czech champion. Fouquenet held on for third after losing time on the final climb.
Zoe Backstedt recovered from being shuffled back mid-race to claim fourth and the U23 victory ahead of next week's elite World Championships in Hulst, where she will step up from the U23 category. Viktória Chladoňová finished sixth from the fifth row for Visma-Lease a Bike.
"I had the feeling I was quicker on the corners after the pink bridge," Pieterse said following the race finish. "I wanted to be in front there and then just go for it because I didn't want to sprint against Amandine or Zemanová."
The final World Cup standings see Brand take the overall despite missing the finale, with Aniek van Alphen holding second and Fouquenet moving into third.
