Podium for Puck Pieterse in Hulst
Puck Pieterse earned a hard-fought third place at the UCI Cyclocross World Cup in Hulst. “In the first half of the race I kept coming back, but then I made another stupid mistake, after which I had to chase again. That cost me a bit too much energy,” said the 22-year-old Dutch rider in an interview.
Pieterse, who crossed the finish line behind Marie Schreiber and Lucinda Brand, considered Hulst a “good start” of her season while recognizing that “there are still some things to work out.” This World Cup was the second race of her intense and short season, which will end with the Cyclocross World Championships in Liévin, France, on February 1st.
Annemiek van Vleuten joins FENIX-Deceuninck as performance mentor
A year after retiring, Annemiek van Vleuten is returning to professional cycling as a performance mentor for FENIX-Deceuninck. The announcement was made by the Belgian team during a press conference hosted in FENIX Scenario in Milan.
“I’ll observe the athletes and work closely with them and their coaches to reach their maximum potential. I became who I am through a laborious process of trials and errors, gradually building greater confidence in myself. The role I’ll represent for FENIX-Deceuninck cyclists aims to accelerate this process for each of them,” explained Van Vleuten.
The 42-year-old former pro rider said that in the final years of her career she knew she wanted to work with professional athletes and cyclist. “When Philip Roodhooft approached me about joining FENIX-Deceuninck, I was surprised but quickly impressed by the professionalism and their commitment to both performance and the human side of the sport.”
“This year, I experienced observing cycling from the other side as TV commentator. Now I have, ina small way, the opportunity to put my experience at the service of the growth of the women’s movement, perfectly embodied by FENIX-Deceuninck, whose professionalism and management by Philip Roodhooft I really appreciate. Women’s cycling is growing strongly, now there’s even the Professional category and quality is less and less concentrated in a few teams. It will be fun, and we’re here for it!”
Known for her unmatched mindset and professional approach, the former two-time World Champion will guide riders to achieve their full potential. Her expertise and leadership will be pivotal in refining both individual and collective performances, as FENIX-Deceuninck continues to compete at the highest level.
In her 16-year-long career, Van Vleuten won 104 races, including two road and two TT World Championships, four Giro Donne, one Tour de France Femmes and La Vuelta Femenina.
FENIX extends sponsorship until the end of 2027
“We are proud to extend our partnership with FENIX-Deceuninck, supporting their growth and success. Their commitment to excellence and innovation reflects FENIX’s values, making this collaboration a perfect match for shared aspirations,” said Stefano Mion, CEO of Arpa Industriale, the company that created FENIX.
FENIX commitment as main title sponsor has been renewed until at least the end of 2027. “This long-term commitment provides a strong foundation for continued investment in the team’s growth and organizational development,” added Philip Roodhooft, general manger of FENIX-Deceuninck during a press conference hosted in FENIX Scenario in Milan.
The team’s dedication to process improvement and fostering an environment that enables consistent top performances aligns seamlessly with FENIX’s philosophy, which focuses on innovation, technology, and excellence.
FENIX’s timeless color palette will, once more, differentiate the team from peloton. Together with new kit sponsor Alé, FENIX-Deceuninck will have new striking designs. In addition to the iconic Verde Comodoro and the established team blue, the 2025 season will introduce Rosso Namib as new color.
Thanks to the UCI’s allowance to switch outfits up to three times per year, all three colors will appear at different moments throughout the season, both in and around the peloton.
Alvarado takes silver in the CX European Championships
With a strong performance and a hard-fought race, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado crossed the finish line second at the European Cyclocross Championships in Pontevedra, Spain. A nail-biting final sprint ultimately won by two-time world champion Fem van Empel.
“Played my cards, result was bittersweet. Sometimes the gamble doesn’t pay off, but the grind was worth it,” wrote the 26-year-old Dutch rider in an Instagram post. While it wasn’t the outcome she expected, Alvarado said she was happy with the work done.
Alvarado went full-throttle through out the 3,350-meters long circuit. “I tried to make it difficult for everyone. I think that I really succeeded towards the end, but in the end, it is all about whether you have a sprint or not. And there was someone with a better sprint,” she said in a post-race interview.
Victory for Ceylin Alvarado at Superprestige Ruddervoorde
What a spectacular second week of the cyclo-cross season for Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado. After an opening podium at Exact Cross Beringen, the FENIX-Deceuninck rider won both Kermiscross Ardooie and Superprestige Ruddervoorde.
“A less season opener with a few mechanicals but ending the first week with a hard-fought victory made up for it. Grateful for a good week of racing,” Alvarado wrote on an Instagram post, where she acknowledged that it felt great “to have such a good start after some hectic and uncertain months.”
At Kermiscross Ardooie, the Dutch rider secured a solo victory after launching a decisive attack on the third lap. In an impressive show of strength and speed, she crossed the finish line 28 seconds ahead Marion Norbert Riberolle (Crelan-Corendon) and 48 seconds in front of Alicia Franck (De Ceuster-Bowpunt).
Three days later, Alvardo won the first round of the Telenet Superprestige series. What a race! She dominated the course along Fem van Empel (Team Visma-Lease a Bike, Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions) and Sara Casasola (Crelan-Corendon). Not even a fall on the second to last lap deterred her focus. She was explosive uphill and sped through the sand sections, which allowed her to dash for the finish line ahead of Van Empel and Brand.
Ceylin Alvarado opens her Cyclo-cross season with a podium!
Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado celebrated the start of her 2024-2025 Cyclo-cross season with a strong second place at the opening round of the Exact Cross series in Beringen. This was also her debut with the FENIX-Deceuninck jersey, after racing under Alpecin-Deceuninck for the past five years.
Alvarado crossed the finish line 42 seconds after world champion Fem van Empel and 34 seconds ahead of Lucinda Brand. The FENIX-Deceuninck rider started the race with a lead but a crashed on the second lap forced her to change her bike. However, she quickly got back and managed to regain positions throughout the muddy course.
Van der Poel wins his first Gravel World Championship
With a spectacular solo win in Leuven, Mathieu van der Poel is the new Gravel World Championship. The victory further confirms his cycling versatility and multidisciplinarity, adding an eight World Champion title to his palmarès.
“It was a big goal for me. It’s super nice to add another rainbow to the collection, in another discipline as well, so I’m super happy with this one. It’s super nice also to finish the season like this. It’s amazing,” said Van der Poel in a post-race interview.
The Dutchman wrote aggressively throughout the Belgian course, attacking early and going briefly solo after 60 km and later again with 13.5 km before the finish line. “I just wanted to make the race as hard as possible because I knew on the local lap with a big group it could be a difficult situation for me. I tried to put everyone on the limit. When Florian (Vermeersch) went, we had a good cooperation. My legs were also hurting. You never know in a sprint, especially on a gravel bike, so I tried one last time on the hardest section of the course, and it’s always nice when you find yourself alone like this.”
The Gravel rainbow jersey is the last in a list of eight World Championships won by Van der Poel, including one on road (2023) and six in cyclo-cross (2015, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2024).
Second for Christina Schweinberger at Binche Chimay Binche
The fourth edition of Binche Chimay Binche pour Dames finished with a bunch sprint which saw Christina Schweinberger crossing the finish line second. Her FENIX-Deceuninck teammate Marthe Truyen was fifth.
The 117.2-km-long course is known for its final climb along the famously cobbled Rue de la Pepinière, which must be completed less than a kilometer before its also cobbled finish. The race, held between the Belgian cities if Binche and Chimay in Wallonia, is one of the last dates in the road calendar.
Puck Pieterse is the New U23 Road World Champion
Puck Pieterse closed her already spectacular 2024 road season by conquering the UCI World Championships U23 title, adding another rainbow jersey to her incredible palmares. She finished 13th the 154.1 km-long Elite road race, her first with the National Dutch team.
“Road is nice. I like races like today that are always full gas. I like to see how far I can go,” Puck said. Her victory in Zurich came amid intense weather conditions. “It was really cold, especially every time we went into the longer descents. I was shivering and shaking by the last two laps. You don’t want to go any faster because your legs are gone. But you also want to ride faster because it is so cold that you want to warm up. But there was no warming up with this rain.”
This new U23 title comes a month after 22-year-old rider won the UCI MTB World Championships cross country race. It is also a highlight of her road season, which was marked by a stage win and the youth leader jersey at the Tour de France and two podiums in the Spring Classics.
Bronze medal for Julie de Wilde in the U23 Individual Time Trial at the World Championships
“A bronze medal feels so good after a year with more downs then ups!”, wrote Julie de Wilde on an Instagram post after taking the third place in Individual Time Trial at the World Championships in the U23 category.
The Belgian rider completed the 29.9 km-long Swiss course from Gossau to Zürich in 42 minutes and 37 seconds.
“I want to thank my team, the national team, and everybody who’s close to me for keeping the confidence. This performance gives me some extra motivation for this week to go all-in another time!”, said de Wilde.
She will be competing again on Saturday September 28, when she will represent Belgium in the World Championships Road Race.
