UCI World Cup Troyes 2023: Silver again for Puck
She did it again. On the French roads of Troyes, Puck Pieterse crossed the finish line second, in what was her second race with the new FENIX-Deceuninck jersey. 2 races, 2 second places: not bad at all!
Pieterse was back in action after taking a month’s break.The Dutch rider immediately proved to be in perfect condition. With a great performance she was able to finish just 21 seconds apart from Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado of Alpecin-Deceuninck.
Other two athletes, who do road racing on with FENIX- Deceuninck, also managed top 10 results in Troyes: Inge van der Heijdenm obatianed 5th place while Annemarie Worst finished in 7th position. Both the riders take part to the cyclo-cross races with different teams, Crelan-Coredon and Cyclocross Reds, respectively.
Thanks to the performances of the riders of Ciclismo Mundial teams, which includes FENIX- Deceuninck, the 2023 Cyclo-Cross season is becoming very exiting. We can’t wait to see how the next race will unfold!
A great debut for Puck!
Puck Pieterse had her debut with the new FENIX-Deceuninck jersey in the first race of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, and what a wonderful race it was. The Dutch rider crossed second the finish line of the Waterloo circuit, in Wisconsin, USA, just behind her fellow countrywoman Fem Van Empel.
“I made a number of mistakes in the initial phase, my cross technique clearly let me down. It’s only been a week since I was on the MTB, which is difficult,” said the 21-year-old Dutch national champion in her post-race interview.
Congratulation Puck, we are sure that this is only the beginning of a successful season! We are all very curious to follow the next Cyclo-cross challenges and view the performances of all the FENIX-Deceuninck riders.
FENIX-Deceuninck expands to cyclocross and mountainbike
Taking a new step towards a multidisciplinary philosophy, FENIX-Deceuninck women’s team will also be competing in 2023-2004 CX and 2024 MTB seasons. 21-year-old Dutch cyclocross champion, Puck Pieterse, will be the leader of the team, which also includes Marthe Truyen, Yara Kastelijn, Millie Couzens and Julie De Wilde.
Pieterse made her debut in the new FENIX-Deceuninck jersey at the UCI World Cup race in Waterloo, United States, that took place on October 15. She crossed the finish line in second position.
All her team members, who have a CX past but have shifted their focus to a road career, will compete in a limited cyclocross program over the next months.
The team was established in 2020 with a roster of top cyclo-cross specialists with the aim to offer an interesting road program during the spring and summer months before the CX season. In 2023, FENIX-Deceuninck became a UCI WorldTour team. The expansion follows its previous focus on the road and activities in e-racing and gravel.
Christina Schweinberger finishes second at Chrono des Nations
FENIX-Deceuninck rider Christina Schweinberger finished the final time trial of the season with a second place at the Chrono des Nations in Les Herbiers, France. The 27.23 km course was won by fellow Austrian Anna Kiesenhofer by one second.
Schweinberger’s 2023 season was several podiums, especially during ITTs. In this specialty, the 26-year-old Austrian rider obtained the third place at the European Continental Championship, and the second at both the World Championships and the National Championships Austria.
VAN DER POEL WINS THE 2023 UCI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Mathieu van der Poel conquered the 2023 UCI World Championship and wrote a new page in the history of the cycling thanks to an epic and spectacular win on the Scotland roads.
The Dutchman crossed first the finish line after more than 6 hours and 270 kms, from Edinburgh to Glasgow, ahead of the Belgian Wout van Aert, Slovenia Tadej Pogacar and Danish Mads Pedersen. The 28-year-old Alpecin-Deceuninck captain attacked the group of riders in the last 25 kms and held on to his time advantage despite a crash 16 kms before the finish line.
After the race, van der Poel said that he was “overwhelmed” by the victory. “It means everything,” the Dutchman said of his title. “It was one of the biggest goals I had left and to win it today was amazing. It almost completes my career, in my opinion. It’s maybe my biggest victory on the road.”
It was a remarkable win for Van der Poel, who had been targeting the rainbow jersey for several years. He is the first Dutch to conquer the rainbow jersey in almost 40 years, and the first cyclocross world champion to also win the road world championships on the same year.
Eight FENIX-Deceuninck riders to compete in World Championships
Over the next 11 days, eight FENIX-Deceuninck riders will represent their countries in the World Cycling Championships that are taking place in Glasgow, Scotland.
Maria Martins (Portugal) will compete in the Women Elite’s scratch and omnium events, while Laura Süßemilch (German) will focus on the team pursuit.
Julie de Wilde (Belgium) and Christina Schweinberger (Austria) will first race the individual time trial on August 10th, followed by the road championship, which will take place on August 13th. Here they will be joined by Marthe Truyen (Belgium), Sanne Cant (Belgium), Julie van de Velde (Belgium) and Carina Schrempf (Austria).
In bocca al lupo to all the riders!
YARA KASTELIJN WINS TOUR DE FRANCE FEMMES STAGE 4
Stage 4 of the Tour de France Femmes is one for history books. With 177,1 km from Cahors to Rodez, it was the longest race since the creation of the Women World Tour in 2016 and Yara Kastelijn won it solo after attacking on breakaway, in which she spent most of the day.
It was also the Dutch cyclocross specialist’s first professional road victory, and the first Grand Tour win for FENIX-Deceuninck. “It’s really a dream. I can’t believe this – it is really a team victory because I had to do nothing all day… A victory is what we want and we have it now – and I’m super proud of this,” said Kastelijn in the post-race interview.
Kastelijn and teammate Marthe Truyen joined other 12 riders in first breakaway, which formed 15 km from the start. In the final climb, she attacked solo managing to cross the finish line a minute and eleven seconds ahead of the chasing pack. The Fenix-Deceuninck is now seventh in the general classification and second in the mountain ranking.
INTRODUCING FENIX-DECEUNINCK'S LINE UP FOR ITS FIRST GIRO DONNE
FENIX-Deceuninck is returning to the Italian roads, this time for its first ever Giro Donne where it will be racing in its iconic Verde Comodoro jersey.
As the proud naming sponsor, we are excited to present the seven riders who will be taking part in the first Grand Tour of the season, starting on Friday June 30th in Chianciano and finishing on Sunday July 9 in Olbia.
DE WILDE WINS SPAR FLANDERS DIAMOND TOUR
On Sunday, the Belgian rider Julie De Wilde, racing in Women Elite for FENIX-Deceuninck team, reached the golden podium at SPAR Flanders Diamond Tour. Kathrin Schweinberger and Katrijn de Clercq achieved respectively second and third place.
De Wilde’s win comes after being away from the races because of an injury early in the season. Posting on Instagram the photo of her triumphal arrival, the champion commented “teamwork makes the dream work.”
SCHWEINBERGER CAME SECOND AT DWARS DOR HET HAGELAND
The 128km one-day race, featuring a series of hills and cobblestones, saw on Saturday 136 riders at the departure in Aarschot and only 70 of them reaching the finishing line in the Citadel of Diest. The victory went to the Belgian racer Lotte Kopecky, followed by the Austrian Christina Schweinberger of FENIX-Deceuninck.
Getting to the top of the 500-meters final climb, one second after the winner, Schweinberger was supported by her teammates De Wilde and Van Alphen to conquer the podium at Dwars door het Hageland for the second year in a row.
