While Road seems to be the next logical step, Puck may want to take a very close look at the new Gravel branch. It's fresh, little competition here at the moment, and lots of potential. With her MTB and CX roots, it seems to be ideal for her - lots of prizes to win and money to be made.

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree !

So few comments for such a great rider. I have to put it down to cyclocross’s European history. In Australia it’s a minority sport really only on the fringe. I can’t believe how tough these men must have been. They have my deepest respect and the retroness of it is off the charts, how cool is it.

5 40 in the video. If you were to combine the faces of Poupou and Ardie. You get Mathieu. Two very specific karakters.

I would like to see her ride basically all the bike-related races(Road, Gravel, XC, CX, etc) 😊 She is clearly good, independent of bike or surface

He have to be so much proud of his son.

The best ever??? When the hell was this video made? Ever heard of Mathieu van der Poel???

She is the U23 female version of Sagan

fantastic docu ! ❤❤❤❤ and so true ! i love them both F.v.Empel and P.Pietersen . they are both GREAT sports women !!!!

incredible video. Zdeněk retired from road cycling but hopefully he will race cx one more time this winter before he finally hangs up his wheels. I think the fans would love that.

It is wonderful to watch Puck. Why should she be restricted by our opinions, who are we to say what a wonderful, beautiful athlete should restrict herself to. I'm certain she will make the best decision and I will support it.

Quick question where did you get the footage of when blanka was introduced to doltcini that you showed in the video? I would like to see it .

As well as helping with the course design for the 2022 course at Zonhoven he also made an appearance in the party tent DJ stage afterwards

@Besenwagen braught me here... 😉

in Hungary it is considered to be a very beautiful name by far

watching this is so entertaining

And now she can add the elite women XCO European championship to her impressive list. I just can't be not affected by her enthusiasm and spontaneous actions, I'm a fan!

she is going for the gold medal at the olimpics mtb

She will probably go on orad after taking gold at paris 24, and after some years she will dominate road classics

I'm a fan. She is going places and no doubt to the road more and more as it goes. Shame really but makes it exciting to see talents like Puck and Mathieu's whereever they present. That XCO win last weekend was epic! Fem Van Empel was at the front for a bit at the start but finished well back in the pack. Ceylin finished well back but claimed illness. She rode Puck's KZbin course preview with her and that was fun to watch. Wish I understood Dutch!

Great sum up! Yesterday another big win from Puck in Elite Mtb!

Her cycle x WC shows serious guty strength, everyone should be a massive fan! and all this year I am looking out for Fem in this year’s road bike racing and she’s not racing road atm? :( also everyone should be a fan of Puck now too!

Great to see something from Daphny again. When my girlfriend at the time was looking for a cross bike and could hardly find anything because of her size, we saw Daphny's bike at a race and were approached by her husband / partner while talking about the bike and bought the bike at the end of the season in NL. You don't forget something like that .

After yesterday's Amstel gold race I couldn't agree more. I think she will push Vollering and Van Vleuten hard in the Giro and/or Tour. She can do timetrial, but she can also climb a hill. And after 150 kilometres of working hard for the team she nearly beat Kopecky for the silver. But most of all, she has a big heart. If Shirin had been in that group when Vollering rode away at the Cauberg, I'm sure she would have countered. By the way: kudos for pronouncing Dutch names perfectly.

Fem van Empel to begin road season at Volta Limburg Classic tomorrow 1st April. Shirin is racing on Sunday at the Ronde van Vlaanderen, so there won't be a head to head - yet

Given her all round ability and skill set coupled with her commitment to her teammates, I also think that she will achieve success in the classics and grand tours. She will be really well supported by an incredibly strong team because she is so passionate and likeable.

Thanks for this

You forgot to mention that Shirin has the best smile in cycling!

I'd like to see her be the women's equivalent to Pidcock, Wout, or MvdP. Just darn good at so many things.

Has as much personality as a brick

Piddocks doped up to the eyeballs like the rest of the team

Love this girl 🚴🏽‍♀️👍

I'd like to see her do cyclocross, mountain bike and road.

Dhe could do all three (4?) like Pauline Ferrand Prevot. Theres no money in XCO - for organisations OR the riders. Cross is hands down the best for spectators, but the Classics and tours have all the prestige 11:50 . Racing is only temporary fame, legacy is fame and gortune.

She's a great character and clearly enjoys the fun side of cycling, hope she stays in cross and MTB and makes a few excursions into road..

I don't understand the whole either-or discussion: cross or road. Marianne Vos has been demonstrating for over a decade you can combine the two disciplines and be successful at both. I think both Puck and Fem will follow in her footsteps/tracks.

I believe long term she will convert to the road scene but continue to ride 'cross. The near-term challenge is making the Paris Olympics MTB team for the Netherlands, as she has publicly stated. She has a good chance to make the selection, but the Dutch has several strong MTB riders, so it is not guaranteed. Post Paris, I think she will become more like Marianne Vos, and win the rainbow jersey in both the road and cyclocross.

I have to admit to disliking women's road races, I seldom bother to watch them. Watching a peloton of riders who appear to be out for a weekend ride for 90% of the race is so bloody boring. Cross and MTB are far more exciting/interesting to watch. They are about individual ability and stamina for the whole race, something I enjoyed about Strade Bianche, where Puck raced with hardly any help from her team, against other riders who were mostly paired up. I'd like to see Puck continue race off road for as long as possible, but I'm aware it's likely the real money is earned on the road. We never know, Puck may not enjoy having to ride to team orders and kick road races into touch.

I've always got the impression she's really an off-road rider, and that is where she wants to be. This summer is a big one, and will tell us if she's capable of going to Paris on the MTB; the Dutch have the two Annes as well established Elite riders - can Puck breakthrough in XC racing at Elite level? She will be super competitive in the Friday night Short Track, but the longer XCO races are something else.

I justed started really following CX and watching many of the races in the past two seasons. The young guns in women's CX are UNREAL to watch, including Puck, FVE and Carmen Alvarado. Between them and VDP and WVA battling, it has been some of the most enjoyable racing to watch since the LA years in TDF. I do believe these riders have an affliction for CX in particular, and we should be so lucky to watch them do battle in the fall/winters for the next 7-8 seasons, or more! As they say, Cross is Coming!

I hope that she continues in Cyclocross, combined with XCO, and maybe some selected road races. I think she have more fun on CX and XCO

So actually this was a piece about cyclo cross, NOT about the Strade Bianche...

I hope she's riding Paris-Roubaix Femmes…

i would love to see her take wins in the uci women's xco races, that's my hope for her, i expect she will go road racing but that doesn't interest me as much as off road, but saying that i did enjoy the strade race.

Sad part of the story, the public was very horrible back then... they would scandalize others and trow beer on them ,call them names of even try to pull them of their bikes. I am glad it changed a lot

I can remember me this race🥰 Even 28y later Richard Groenendael cant laugh with that shoulder pad😆

Idk if I’m related to him bc no one in my family knows him but we have the same last name.

Great video. You don't mention it but how she responded to the Val di Sole crash said a lot about her character and dedication. The changing of the guard is spot on. It feels like we're seing the emergence of 3 that will dominate cx and have mouth-watering potential on the road, but what she might achieve at the head of them is crazy to contemplate. I hope TJV is the right place for her: TJV have done great w improrving the team strategy and esp TTs of M riders - I hope that holds true for the F team and her future chances but I'm not totally convinced. Can't wait to find out over the next few years!

I believe Puck has done better on a MTB than Fem, winning the U23 European Championship and coming 3rd in the u23 MTB World Championship. Shirin van Anrooij is already a proven winner on the roads. Road victories depend as much on the team as individual ability. What is obvious about Fem is how much she hates losing. I hope we get to see all three riding in cyclocross next year, against fitter opposition and Zoe!

Did he say she wasn’t racing Strada or Flanders in 23?