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Puck Pieterse’s first pro road victory is a stage of the Tour de France Femmes

Canadian Magdeleine Vallieres 12th place in Wednesday's wet stage

Puck Pieterse's first pro road victory
August 14, 2024
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Cyclocross ace Puck Pieterse took her first professional road stage in Wednesday’s wet mini-Classic stage starting in the Netherlands and ending in Belgium. It was a Dutch woman outsprinting another Dutch woman, yellow jersey Demi Vollering. Puck moved up to second on GC and took over the Queen of the Mountains category. Vollering kept the yellow jersey the day before the race hits France. Canada’s Magdeleine Vallieres was prominent on Wednesday and came in 12th.

The Course

Still not in France, the Tour de France Femmes had a mini-Classics day in which is started with Amstel Gold Race climbs after the gun in Valkenburg, the Netherlands and ended with the famous climbs of Liège-Bastogne-Liège: Côte de la Redoute, Côte des Forges and Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons. It was rainy.

Vallieres’ compatriot and teammate Clara Emond did not start.

Silvia Persico scored all the QOM points atop all the Cat. 3 and 4 Amstel Gold Race climbs like Bemelerberg, Cauberg and Geulhemmerberg. Sara Martin then took off solo as the race traveled into Belgium. Just before the Mont Theux climb, Maggie Coles-Lyster abandoned the race. Martin didn’t get to crest Mont Theux before she was caught; Yara Kastelijn took the QOM points.

The sprinters had been jettisoned by Côte de la Redoute (1.6 km of 8.6 percent). Canadian Olivia Baril was at the front of the pack. Pieterse made the first dig and was the first over the top.

Fenix-Deceuninck with a show of force at the front.

In between Redoute and Côte des Forges, Vallieres accelerated at the front of the peloton.

Vallieres punches the gas.

Côte des Forges (1.5 km at 6.9 percent) saw the peloton still quite large. Justine Ghekiere was first over and kept going, hitting the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons (1.3 km of 10.1 percent) with an 18-second lead. Vallieres again pushed at the pointy end of the greatly-reduced field. When Ghekiere was caught, Vollering and Katarzyna Niewiadoma attacked. Pieterse clung on and took more maximum QOM points at the crest; she will wear the polka dots on Thursday.

There were 12 km, an intermediate sprint and a little more climbing to go before the finish line in Liège. Vallieres led the chase group. Vollering nabbed the 6-second bonus at the intermediate sprint, Niewiadoma 4 seconds, Pieterse 2 seconds.

The Vollering-Niewiadoma-Pieterse trio pounded towards the finish line with the 13-strong Vallieres chase 30 seconds back. The Pole attacked first inside the red kite. Vollering sewed it up. Pieterse made a thrust from the back, Vollering coming alongside to make it a photo finish. The younger Dutch woman prevailed. Dutch riders have won all four of the first stages.

2024 Tour de France Femmes Stage 4
1) Puck Pieterse (The Netherlands/Fenix-Deceuninck) 3:12:28
2) Demi Vollering (The Netherlands/SD Worx-Protime) s.t.
3) Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Poland/Canyon-SRAM) s.t.
12) Magdeleine Vallieres (Canada/EF-Oatly-Cannondale) +0:29
27) Simone Boilard (Canada/Uno-X) +1:33

2024 Tour de France Femmes GC
1) Demi Vollering (The Netherlands/SD Worx-Protime) 7:40:10
2) Puck Pieterse (The Netherlands/Fenix-Deceuninck) +0:23
3) Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Poland/Canyon-SRAM) +0:34