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Triple-discipline ace Puck Pieterse pedaled into new terrain this week when she signed a contract spanning through 2027 with her Fenix-Deceuninck team.
Stretching four and a half more years, it’s the longest-known deal in the Women’s WorldTour and a further signal of the growing investment in the women’s side of the sport. Fenix-Deceuninck’s partner men’s team Alpecin-Deceuninck, home of Mathieu van der Poel, doesn’t yet have any riders signed for so long a timespan.
It seems a no-brainer that Fenix-Deceuninck wanted to tie Pieterse to the team as long as it could.
The 21-year-old dazzled all year, snatching cyclocross and mountain bike World Cup wins and finishing best-of-the-rest behind season dominator Fem Van Empel in ‘cross worlds.
And as if that wasn’t enough, Pieterse casually rode to sixth (later adjusted to fifth after Kristen Faulkner’s DQ) at Strade Bianche in a very rare appearance on the road bike.
“It’s a logical decision,” Pieterse said in a team statement Friday. “The great thing about this team and structure is that I can combine the different disciplines and have the freedom to decide myself when to do which discipline.“In addition, with this team, I can count on an excellent environment in terms of training and coaching. I am convinced that I can continue to develop here in the best conditions over the next few years.”Pieterse won’t be pursuing the road in 2023 after […]
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