Puc Pieterse will start the first of 11 races that will make up the 2024-2025 cyclocross season at the UCI Cyclocross World Cup in Namur on Sunday.

“I am looking forward to returning to the field in Namur,” Pieterse told Het Nieuwsblad from the Phoenix des Seuninck training camp in Benicassim, Spain.

“My motivation is high in every race, but always a little higher in Namur. It's one of the most beautiful circuits and I love running there. I like to drive there. It gives me a fresh feeling going into the start.” [The 22-year-old had a busy season on the road and mountain bike, including a fourth-place finish in her bid for the UCI Gravel World Championship title in October and a win at the Olympics and Tour de France before that, winning stage 4 in Liège.

“I'm starting to get the itch now,” he said. 'I've watched a lot of competitions on TV over the last few weeks and now I'm in the mood to start my own. I didn't touch my bike for the first two weeks of my vacation, then I cycled for two weeks only when I felt like it, and since November I've been systematically training again. It won't be very long, but I'm hoping to reach the levels of the past winters."

Although a busy 2024 season has delayed his start in cyclocross, Peeters has 12 races scheduled before the World Cup.

“I plan to do almost as many cyclocross races as I did last season. I don't think I've ever run so many competitions in such a short period of time, and for the first time I'll be running double weekends as well.”

Her first double weekend will be the World Cup in Hulst and Sonnhofen next week, followed by the “kerstperiode” races in Gavel, Diegem, and Baar on December 26, 30, and January 1.

“I saw on TV that the level of the top competitors is very close,” Pieterse said. 'Last year there was more of a gap. I actually want to compete for the win right away and stand on the highest step possible. But at the same time, I need to see how my condition is and how my preparation pays off.” The World Championships in Lievin in early February are my main goal this year.

The Namur World Cup is one of the toughest circuits on the calendar, with steep climbs around the citadel.

“You realize that this is not the kind of course where you can start calmly and sit on your wheels for a while. At Namur, the strong often win and it is impossible to hide yourself. Still, I secretly hope that I am good enough to fight for victory. We will find out on Sunday if that hope is correct.

“I will probably be in the starting third row. In Namur, as a rule, there is enough time to move up quickly.

How to watch cyclocross: live streams, TV channels and schedules for the 2024/25 season

Subscribe to Cycling News for unlimited access to cyclocross coverage for the 2024/25 season. Don't miss any breaking news, reports and analysis of the major cyclocross races leading up to the World Championships. Learn more