The future of the sport looks to be very bright, and on the U23 women’s side — bright orange. The Dutch National team took to the front of the U23 womens’ field early on, strikingly similar to the Elite women’s race.
Many U23 participants race regularly in the Elite fields, including the U23 women’s race winner, Puck Pieterse. If you watch international cyclocross, you’ll recognize Pieterse as the Fenix-Alpecin rider, one who hops the barriers and can handle with the best of them.
Her incredible handling skills can be attributed to her Elite mountain bike background, and she has had an ace up her sleeve all season. Her mud skills landed her podium finishes and near wins in super technical tracks like the World Cup in Flamanville, France.
Puck’s ride is very similar to her compatriots Mathieu van der Poel and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado.
All ride the Canyon Inflite CF SLX — top of the line for the best in the world.
Pieterse’s Inflite differs in size and some little touches that make it better for her to pilot.
She used the same one-piece carbon fiber drop bars that are found on Canyon’s high-end rides.
Unlike MVDP, Pieterse goes with a full Shimano GRX groupset excluding the crankset. The Shimano GRX setup isn’t uncommon for the professional cyclocross field.
Many riders prefer the ample hand room and tactile feel of the shifter blade in the mud.
Another difference is the compact Shimano Dura-Ace chainset and off-brand chainring. We saw the same setup on Vos Cervelo; “The Mechanics’ Parts” 44T outer chainring. We’re guessing many riders tuned in and dialed down their gearing for the climbing featured on the Fayette Worlds course.
Like others on the Dutch National squad, Pieterse went with a Dugast Typhoon setup, front, and rear. The Typhoon was a super popular tire for most. Those not running Dugast still ran a Grifo style “mixed” tread, which would roll fast and grip in the off-cambers.
Pieterse’s victory was convincing and the same with the tremendous power of the Nederlands in the weekends’ events.
We look forward to what comes for Pieterse in the following years and can only see more Dutch dominance in the women’s field for the future.
Details: Puck Pieterse Canyon Inflite CF SLX
- Fork: Canyon FK0045 CF Disc
- Frame: Canyon Inflite CF SXL custom painted
- Front brake: Shimano GRX 140mm rotor
- Rear brake: Shimano GRX 140mm rotor
- Brake/shift levers: Shimano GRX Di2 2/11spd
- Front derailleur: Shimano GRX Di2 2/11spd
- Rear derailleur: Shimano GRX Di2
- Cassette: Shimano Ultergra 11spd 11-28T
- Chain: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 11 spd
- Crankset: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 44/39T
- Wheelset: Shimano WH-R9270-C50-TU Tubular
- Tires: A Dugast Typhoon 33mm Tubular
- Handlebar: Canyon CP18 Cockpit CF Combo 400mm
- Handlebar tape: Selle Italia cork
- Stem: Canyon CP18 Cockpit CF Combo 100mm
- Pedals: Shimano XTR M9100
- Saddle: Selle Italia X1 X-Cross Flow
- Seat post: Canyon SP0042 VCLS CF
For more information about the Canyon Inflite CF SLX check out Canyon.com
