Puck Pieterse continued to showcase her incredible talent as she took off from the start and never looked back. After taking a spectacular win at round one it is another World Cup win for the young rider as she storms the course in Austria with a speed that no one could answer. Mona Mitterwallner tried her hardest to close the gap and get another Austrian rider on top of the box this weekend but it was not to be as the gap remained around 40 seconds. It was still a great home result with Mitterwallner joined by Laura Stigger on the podium.
After her incredible win Puck Pieterse said on the live broadcast: “My tactic was to start quite fast so that maybe the people who start less fast had a disadvantage on the climbs and I had a little gap maybe at the beginning. Then the gap kept growing and growing and halfway through I was totally dead and then yeah I had to keep pushing and luckily it worked out.
Stay tuned for live results and updates from the Elite Men’s race.
Results:
Elite Women
1st. Puck Pieterse: 1:16:38
2nd. Mona Mitterwallner: +38
3rd. Laura Stigger: +56
4th. Jenny Rissveds: +1:25
5th. Loana Lecomte: +1:54
Elite Men
Live Timing
Live Race Updates:
4:00 am PDT: The Elite Women are Off
The Elites are off the line with Anne Terpstra leading into a shortened start loop.
4:04 am PDT: Puck Pieterse is Keeping the Pace High
Puck Pieterse is not letting the racers have an easy start loop as she is out of the saddle and pushing hard on this shorter first loop.
4:07 am PDT: Alessandra Keller Leads After the Start Loop
As riders head into the first full lap it is Alessandra Keller who leads. The Swiss rider is followed by Puck Pieterse, Jenny Rissveds, Anne Terpstra and Loana Lecomte.
4:12 am PDT: The Leading Group Have a Sizeable Gap After the First Climb
After the first pass of the brutal climb it is Puck Pieterse, Anne Terpstra and Jenny Rissveds who lead the race by around 13 seconds.
4:17 am PDT: Puck Pieterse is Riding Away in 1st
Puck Pieterse has managed to create an eight-second gap to Anne Terpstra and 20 seconds to Jenny Rissveds.
4:21 am PDT: After Lap 1 the Top 5 Riders are:
1st. Puck Pieterse: 20:31
2nd. Anne Terpstra: +12
3rd. Laura Stigger: +28
4th. Jenny Rissveds: +29
5th. Mona Mitterwallner: +40
4:28 am PDT: Anne Terpstra Drops Back to Laura Stigger
Anne Terpstra has fallen 34 seconds off the lead as she joins up with Laura Stigger and Jenny Rissveds. The chasing group will need to start working together if they want any chance of catching the hard-charging leader.
4:36 am PDT: After Lap 2 the Top 5 Riders are:
1st. Puck Pieterse: 34:52
2nd. Laura Stigger: +35
3rd. Jenny Rissveds: +36
4th. Mona Mitterwallner: +44
5th. Pauline Ferrand Prevot: +45
4:49 am PDT: After Lap 3 the Top 5 Riders are:
1st. Puck Pieterse: 48:39
2nd. Laura Stigger: +48
3rd. Jenny Rissveds: +49
4th. Mona Mitterwallner: +53
5th. Pauline Ferrand Prevot: +1:08
4:52 am PDT: Mona Mitterwallner Moves to 2nd
Mona Mitterwallner is moving forward through the ranks as she has pulled a few seconds back from Puck Pieterse as she now leads the chase.
4:54 am PDT: Loana Lecomte Passes Pauline Ferrand Prevot for 5th
After a slow start Loana Lecomte has overtaken Pauline Ferrand Prevot up the first brutal climb to move into the final podium position.
4:56 am PDT: Mona Mitterwallner Closes the Gap by 10 Seconds
The young Austrian rider has found nine seconds since the start of the lap as she is working hard to get on the leader’s rear wheel. There isn’t much of the race left so it may be an impossible task.
4:58 am PDT: Pauline Ferrand Prevot is Dropping Back
It’s another tough day for Pauline Ferrand Prevot as she looks to be falling back through the ranks as the World Champion now sits in 7th.
5:01 am PDT: Mona Mitterwallner Finds Another 6 Seconds
The chasing pair of Mona Mitterwallner and Jenny Rissveds are working hard to close the gap. With just over one lap remaining, there may not be enough course left unless Puck Pieterse has issues on the final lap.
5:03 am PDT: Heading into the Final the Top 5 Riders are:
1st. Puck Pieterse: 1:02:36
2nd. Mona Mitterwallner: +42
3rd. Jenny Rissveds: +49
4th. Laura Stigger: +55
5th. Loana Lecomte: +1:31
5:05 am PDT: Jenny Rissveds Can’t Follow Mona Mitterwallner
It’s now only Mona Mitterwallner chasing the leader with Jenny Rissveds falling a further 14 seconds back in 3rd place.
5:09 am PDT: Loana Lecomte is Getting Closer to Jenny Rissveds
Loana Lecomte seems to be riding her way back into the race as the fifth-placed rider is getting closer to potentially fighting for fourth on the final lap.
5:14 am PDT: Mona Mitterwallner is Pushing Hard & Sprinting the Climbs
Mona Mitterwallner is not letting go of a potential home win as she is attacking hard in the second half of the last lap.
5:16 am PDT: Puck Pieterse Wins in Leogang
Puck Pieterse denies the home win for Mona Mitterwallner and Laura Stigger as she takes her second win in 2023.
Course Preview:
Puck Pieterse takes a lap of this year’s course.
Course Map:
