Puck Pieterse triumphs at La Flèche Wallonne
Puck Pieterse took her first Spring Classic victory in in her début at La Flèche Wallonne Femmes. After conquering Mur de Huy, the 22-year-old FENIX-Deceuninck rider won by launching a powerful and impressive late attack 150 meters from the finish line.
“I went to the Mur in fourth or fifth position and saw [Juliette] Labous working really hard to give a good pace to for Demi [Vollering], and then I decided to move into their wheel. I had to wait, and wait. I kept thinking, if I’m hurting, they are hurting as well. And at around 150 meters to go, I planned my attack to stay clear,” she explained after the race, adding “I think I did everything well this race, I attacked where everybody says you have to attack, so I listened to my sports directors for a change.”
Her victory, the first of the 2025 road seasons, was special. “Last year, I won a stage in the Tour [de France] but to win a Spring Classic is, of course, maybe even bigger,” Puck said.
Van der Poel conquers for the third time in a row the Paris-Roubaix
Mathieu Van der Poel made history by winning Paris-Roubaix for the third time in a row. With an incredible solo attack 60 km from the finish, he crossed the line alone in the legendary Roubaix Velodrome.
“I never could have dreamt of this as a child,” Van der Poel reflected in a post race interview. “I was super motivated for this year. I wanted to show the jersey in a nice way but yeah, this goes beyond expectations and I’m a bit lost for words actually.”
Despite a bottle thrown at him during the race, he stayed focused and showed the strength of a true champion by conquering the Hell of the North. This victory confirms his place among the greatest riders in history and highlights the strong teamwork of all the Alpecin-Deceuninck.
