Pieterse solos to victory in Maasmechelen
Dutch rider Pieterse proved the strongest in Maasmechelen, claiming her first UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup victory of the season. Alvarado sprinted to second place, finishing 10 seconds behind the winner and ahead of Fouquenet.
For Brand (Baloise Verzekeringen – Het Poetsbureau Lions), Maasmechelen could have delivered a record World Cup victory, but her opening lap immediately threw a spanner in the works. She crossed the finish line for the first time in 13th position, already 18 seconds down on the race leaders. Up front, a quartet had taken control: Fouquenet (Pauwels Sauzen – Altez Industriebouw Cycling Team), Pieterse (Fenix – Premier Tech), Casasola (Crelan – Corendon) and Vas (SD Worx – Protime).
Among the leading group, Pieterse looked completely at ease on the Maasmechelen circuit. Fouquenet was able to stay with her, while Casasola and Vas were forced to let go. For Brand, it was clearly not her day, as she trailed by 25 seconds at the end of the second lap.
Midway through the race, Dutch champion Alvarado (Fenix – Premier Tech) set off in pursuit of the leaders. She quickly dropped Vas and, with Casasola on her wheel, set the pace in third position. Meanwhile, Pieterse had shaken off Fouquenet at the front. With two laps to go, however, the French rider managed to bridge the gap once more. Alvarado and Casasola were still within sight, around ten seconds back.
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In the fifth lap, Fouquenet suffered a puncture, leaving Pieterse alone at the front once again. Alvarado continued the chase but had spent a lot of energy closing the gap earlier. At the start of the sixth and final lap, Alvarado was joined again by Fouquenet, both riders trailing Pieterse by nine seconds.
Despite her puncture, Fouquenet initially seemed to have the upper hand in the chase. However, the off-camber section had troubled her all race long and once again wiped out her advantage over Alvarado. In the final metres, it was Alvarado who proved the faster of the two.
That sprint for second place came around 10 seconds behind winner Pieterse, who held onto her slim advantage in the final lap to secure her first World Cup victory of the season. For Brand, who finished tenth, Maasmechelen marked the first race this season in which she failed to reach the podium.
