Puck Pieterse will line up for the XCO World Championships in Val di Sole on Sunday, at a venue that has become one of the most familiar stops of her career. After Thursday’s short track, the Fenix-Premier Tech rider is now fully focused on the main event of her mountain bike World Championships.
Few venues on the mountain bike calendar are as familiar to Pieterse as Val di Sole. She has raced in the Italian valley numerous times over the years, both in cyclocross and mountain bike, and returned this week with plenty of good memories. “I really like coming to Val di Sole. I’ve raced here many times already, both in cyclocross and mountain bike, so it’s probably one of the venues I know best. I have a lot of good memories here, so it’s always nice to come back.”
One memory stands above the rest. Last year, Pieterse enjoyed a perfect World Cup weekend in Val di Sole, winning both the short track and the XCO. “The double here last year is definitely my best memory. Winning both the short track and the XCO World Cup in the same weekend was very special. With all the cyclocross and mountain bike races I’ve done here over the years, there are plenty of good memories, but the one in 2025 stands out.”
Her 2026 World Championships started on Thursday with the XCC. A difficult starting position forced Puck to spend considerable energy moving through the field. She eventually managed to reach the front group before fading somewhat during the second half of the race. “The short track was tough. Starting quite far back made it difficult and I had to use a lot of energy to move up. When things slowed down a little, I managed to get myself towards the front, but I think I paid the price for that effort in the second half of the race and lost some ground again.”
Course feels a bit more punchy
Sunday brings a different challenge. Although Pieterse knows the Val di Sole terrain extremely well, the XCO course is not quite the same as the one she raced on previously. “The course has changed a little since the last time I raced here. It feels a bit more punchy now, because they’ve taken out part of the long climb. But it’s still very technical. The obstacles come one after another quite quickly, and you already have some fatigue in the legs when you arrive at the downhill sections. That makes it challenging.”
For the technical preparation, Fenix-Premier Tech has brought in Matteo Berta to support the riders. His knowledge of the course allows Pieterse and her teammates to work more efficiently during their recon sessions. “The team arranged for Matteo Berta to help us with the technical side. It’s nice to have someone who already knows the course and can check things before you ride it yourself. It makes the preparation more efficient, you can ask him about certain sections or lines, and that helps you feel more confident on the bike.”
Val di Sole is the latest chapter in another remarkably varied season for Pieterse. She combined a successful spring campaign on the road with mountain bike racing before returning to the road for the Tour de France Femmes, where she claimed the polka-dot jersey. “It hasn’t been a bad season at all. I already managed to win a MTB World Cup early in the season, I had a good spring on the road and then took the polka-dot jersey at the Tour. It has been a busy season with a lot of different goals, but I’m happy with what I’ve been able to do so far.”
Enjoying combining different disciplines
The constant switches between disciplines require careful planning. After the spring Classics, Pieterse began focusing on mountain biking in May, starting her MTB block roughly a week before the World Cup in Nové Město. “The calendar is definitely tight, especially when you add the training camps as well. I race the spring Classics and then switch towards mountain biking. There isn’t much empty space in the calendar, but I really enjoy combining the different disciplines.”
That versatility also shapes the way Pieterse currently approaches stage racing. Despite her performances on the road, she has no immediate intention of turning herself into a Grand Tour general classification rider. “For now I still see myself as a one-day racer. When I go to a Grand Tour, I’m looking at stage wins and goals like the polka-dot jersey rather than the general classification. With the programme I have, it would be difficult to also put the specific work into things like time trialling that you need for GC. Not riding for the overall also takes away some of the stress: I can take it stage by stage and focus on each day. And importantly, it still allows me to combine the road with mountain biking. Maybe GC is something I can explore in the future, but not for now.”
For now, though, there is only one discipline that matters. Asked whether she still considers herself a mountain biker despite spending so much of the season on the road, Pieterse does not hesitate. “Absolutely. Right now I feel like a mountain biker, but in a few months I’ll feel like a cyclocross rider again, and in spring I’ll be a road racer. I really like that variety. Switching between the disciplines keeps things fun.”
And on Sunday, she hopes that mountain biker can once again be in the fight at a venue where she has enjoyed some of her biggest successes. “Jenny Rissveds and Sina Frei are definitely among the big favourites. I wouldn’t put myself right at the top of that list, but hopefully I can be up there and fight with them on Sunday.”
