Pieterse wins dominantly at Dutch National Championship Cyclo-cross, Alvarado takes silver, and surprising Betsema wins bronze

Puck Pieterse won the women's Dutch National Championship Cyclo-cross. On the tough, muddy course in Oisterwijk, the Fenix-Deceuninck rider attacked on the first lap. No one could keep up with her pace; she eventually finished more than a minute ahead of her competitors. Her teammate Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado and Marianne Vos initially battled for the remaining podium places, but the 37-year-old Vos eventually had to acknowledge her superiority. In the last phase, Vos lost third place to an intense and surprising Denise Betsema.

It was clear beforehand that a new champion would be crowned no matter what. Defending champion Lucinda Brand had to withdraw after the intensive Christmas period. A weekend of rest was necessary. In previous years, the victories went to Pieterse, Vos, and Alvarado—not coincidentally, also the top favorites for this edition.

Leonie Bentveld started the best and dived into the muddy field first. Pieterse and Alvarado also started the race strong. Marianne Vos started slightly weaker but did not allow herself to be thrown off guard. With her experience, she quickly moved back to the front.

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This is how the Dutch National Championship Cyclo-cross course looked

Pieterse immediately takes the lead, Alvarado and Vos in battle for second place

Pieterse immediately broke away from the competition in the first lap and quickly built up a comfortable lead. Halfway through the lap, the difference between chasers Vos and Alvarado was around ten seconds. At the start of the second lap, that gap had further increased to fifteen seconds for the riders of Fenix-Deceuninck and Visma-Lease a Bike. Jamie de Beer was unlucky in the opening lap. Due to chain problems, she fell far behind, which meant her race was already over. She gave up.

Behind Vos and Alvarado, Bentveld and Betsema were twenty seconds behind. Already in lap two, Pieterse was very comfortable in the lead. Fifteen seconds, in fact, became half a minute. Pieterse was significantly better than her chasers—otherwise, the status quo in the race. The 26-year-old Fenix-Deceunick rider did put pressure on her 37-year-old competitor.

Alvarado and Vos in pursuit of the superior Pieterse 

Final battle between Alvarado and Vos 

Alvarado seemed to have closed the final gap to Vos in the third lap. When they reached the first pit area, the difference was six seconds; shortly thereafter, it had already increased to 15 seconds. Meanwhile, Pieterse increased her lead over the chasers to 45 seconds. Bentveld, Betsema, Inge van der Heijden, and Aniek van Alphen competed against each other in the battle for fourth place, but they were already more than a minute behind.

In the final lap, things unexpectedly became exciting in the battle for bronze. Betsema advanced powerfully and had Vos in her sights. Meanwhile, Pieterse continued to ride error-free. She left the entire competition at least a minute behind. An impressive performance from the 22-year-old rider from Amersfoort!

In the final lap, nothing changed at the head of the race. Pieterse rode gloriously to the gold in Oisterwijk while Alvarado, more than a minute behind, secured the silver. Vos seemed to be heading for bronze for a long time, but on the last lap, Betsema suddenly showed up. Thus, the 31-year-old rider of Pauwels Sauzen - Cibel Clementines surprisingly took bronze.

Results Dutch National Championships Cyclo-cross women 2025

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