Pieterse is the first Dutch woman to win the world title in mountain biking

Mountain biker Puck Pieterse has become world champion one month after her flat tire at the Olympic Games. She got her sporting revenge in Andorra, where she was in a class of her own in the cross-country.

Never before had a Dutch woman become a mountain bike world champion. Anne Terpstra (33) came second, 59 seconds behind Pieterse. Bronze went to the Italian Martina Berta, who finished not much later than Terpstra.

Pieterse got off to a strong start on the 4-kilometer circuit, which required five laps. She immediately took the lead, and only the South African Candice Lill was able to keep up with her pace. Soon, the strong Pieterse had shaken off Lill and continued to catch up. In the final phase, Lill also crashed, and Terpstra took her chance.

For Terpstra from Zeeland, it meant achieving her best result at the World Championships. Three years ago, she had also won silver in Val di Sole (Italy).

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima congratulated Pieterse on Sunday for winning the world title in Andorra. "She was inconsolable in Paris, but now she is coming back in an incredible way!" the royal couple wrote on social media.

"Puck Pieterse makes history: she is the first Dutch woman to win gold at the Mountain Bike World Championship. She immediately attacked, never relinquished her lead, and crossed the finish line with the Dutch flag in her hands," said Willem-Alexander and Máxima. "Many congratulations on this fantastic achievement!"

Pieterse seemed to win silver at the end of July at the Olympic Games in Paris, but a flat tire left her fourth. After that race, Willem-Alexander offered her some consolation. "The Netherlands is proud of you, you rode great. But that won't mean much to you now. Stay strong," he said at the time.

The 22-year-old Pieterse finished third at the World Championships last year. The world title then went to the French Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, who won gold at the Games at the end of July. Ferrand-Prévot finished fourteenth in Andorra and had to give up no less than 3 minutes and 20 seconds to the winner.

Pieterse, who crossed the finish line carrying a Dutch flag, followed in the footsteps of Bart Brentjens, who won the world title in Kirchzarten, Germany, in 1995.