Puck Pieterse wins first race of the season

Puck Pieterse (Alpecin–Fenix) claimed her first victory of the 2025-2026 cyclo-cross season in Diegem. Marie Schreiber (Team SD Worx–Protime) finished second, followed by Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Fenix–Deceuninck) in third.

Under the floodlights in and around Diegem, Pieterse and Schreiber got off to a flying start. Inge van der Heijden, second in the standings, crashed and was forced to abandon. Alvarado, who had stood on the podium in Diegem for the past four editions, stayed close to the leaders and managed to catch up in the second lap.

Pieterse clearly felt strong and immediately created a gap with an impressive sand section. Schreiber and Alvarado followed at around ten seconds. In the chasing group, Aniek van Alphen, Kata Blanka Vas, and Jolanda Neff fought for the points.

Alvarado eventually paid for her fast start and couldn’t keep up with Schreiber. Schreiber, however, stayed in contention, especially in the penultimate lap when Pieterse suffered a flat tire. Pieterse recovered quickly, resisted the pressure from behind, and crossed the finish line solo. Aniek van Alphen retained her lead in the Telenet Superprestige standings with her seventh-place finish.