After four podiums, Puck Pieterse claimed her first win of the season Friday at sand-festival Vlaamse Duinencross, the sixth round of the 2024-2025 X2O Badkamers Trofee in Koksijde, Belgium. Katja Verkerk was top Canadian in 27th.
Preliminaries
At the start of the day, Lucinda Brand was nearly ten minutes clear Fem van Empel, who mounted a fine comeback to beat Brand in Baal. Van Empel had carried off last year’s Koksijde race. There was no fourth place Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado.
The Canadian contingent was Siobhan Kelly, Katja Verkerk, Christiane Bilodeau and Katelyn Walcroft.
It was time to head to the dunes! Van Empel claimed the hole shot heading into the first right turn on Lap 1. Coming out of the first sandy uphill carry, Inge van der Heijden, van Empel and Pieterse distinguished themselves. Van Empel lagged a little in the middle of the circuit. Pieterse then took her leave while Brand chased in Position 4. Puck finished the first 3.1-km lap in 9:27, six seconds clear of van der Heijden and 21 seconds ahead of van Empel and Brand.
Van der Heijden made it back to Pieterse at the beginning of Lap 2 of 5. Brand came around the world champion and the two carried on in pursuit. A costly mistake that hooked her brake lever on the barrier meant that van der Heijden lost contact and crossed the line 11 seconds in arrears. Kelly was 33rd.
On the middle lap, Brand edged closer to van der Heijden and van Empel patiently worked to reestablish contact. Van der Heijden, van Empel and Brand formed a chasing trio. Pieterse slurped down a gel heading over the line 29 seconds clear.
Van der Heijden’s hopes for a sixth podium of the season began to slip away on the penultimate lap. Brand was 20 seconds back and van Empel 25 seconds in arrears.
Pieterse kept her head on the bell lap, as Brand made her patented late race charge, dropping van Empel for good.
The next round is five weeks away, February 9 in Lille.
X2O Badkamers Trofee Round 6, Koksijde
1) Puck Pieterse (The Netherlands/Fenix-Deceuninck) 46:42
2) Lucinda Brand (The Netherland/Baloise-Glowi Lions) +0:19
3) Fem van Empel (The Netherlands/Visma-Lease a Bike) +0:39
27) Katja Verkerk (Canada)
29) Siobhan Kelly (Canada)
31) Christiane Bilodeau (Canada)
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