Pieterse adds valuable insight to bidon-throwing incident: "Same thing happens in cyclo-cross"

In the season opener in Belgium, Pieterse was the only one who could keep up with Demi Vollering on the Muur van Geraardsbergen. She then rode seven more one-day races, ending with a top-ten finish. "I am still waiting on a victory," she says to De Telegraaf. "I know that the world's best are at the start in these races and that my place is in the top 10. I need a good day to achieve that."

The 22-year-old multi-talent hopes that moment will come on Sunday. She is making her debut in the Amstel Gold Race. “It will be my first Amstel, which I am really looking forward to. "Last weekend, I scouted the hills in Limburg and Liège. I think it's really cool that the race is in the Netherlands. I'm looking forward to the whole vibe with fans from our country, and of course, some friends and family will be there too. If I can finish on the podium here or even win, that would be really cool."

The fans will be most enthusiastic around the Cauberg. However, spectators can also misbehave, as Mathieu van der Poel experienced during Paris-Roubaix. While in the lead, he had a bidon thrown at his head, which upset his female teammate. "That kind of thing is simply unacceptable. This differs from a plastic cup of beer, although nothing can justify it."

But Pieterse knows that this is not an isolated incident. It is receiving much attention now but has been a problem for much longer, especially in cyclo-cross. "It's very sad that there are people who go to the race thinking: 'I'm going to throw that bidon at van der Poel.' In women's cycling, we experience the same thing: people shouting things and throwing things at you. Last year, during the Tour de France, I was riding behind Marianne Vos, and someone threw a cup of beer at her. The same thing happens in cyclo-cross. At a certain point, there are a lot of drunk people who don't know what they're doing anymore."

Where the fans are less intimidating is in mountain biking. Pieterse has been the most successful there so far. After missing out on an Olympic medal due to equipment failure, the youngster became the world champion in the elite category in Andorra for the first time. And racing on fat tires is an even bigger goal than winning on the road. "MTB is definitely part of my program. I want to perform well in the classics, but a bigger goal is to show off my rainbow jersey as much as possible. These hill races are also a very good preparation for mountain biking."

Recently, fellow generation member Fem van Empel announced that she was taking a break from her career to focus on her mental health. Pieterse understands her decision completely. She knows the sport's difficulty, especially when you are in the spotlight as a three-time world champion in cyclo-cross. "I think it can happen to anyone. I think it's often a combination of circumstances. Fem rode more cyclo-cross races than I did in the winter and has been under pressure for years with that rainbow jersey. Road cycling is so different from mountain biking and cyclo-cross. It shouldn't become an obligation; otherwise, things will go wrong. I find that the variety of disciplines makes it even more enjoyable for me."