Puck Pieterse wins Mountain Bike XCC World Series in Czechia

Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech) sprinted to victory in the Mountain Bike XCC World Series on May 23, 2026, at Nové Město Na Moravě, defeating Tom Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5), who was outpaced by Mathis Azzaro (Origine Racing Division). After spending the spring racing on the road, both Pieterse and Pidcock made their debuts in the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Czechia.

Pieterse made a strong start, navigating through the pack and arriving at the front by the start of lap three. She maintained an aggressive pace, attacking the climbs in the latter half of the race. The decisive moments unfolded on the start/finish straight when XCC World Champion Alessandra Keller (Thömus maxon) crashed into barriers alongside Jolanda Neff (Cannondale Factory Racing) after an entanglement with Sina Frei (Specialized Factory Racing). This incident altered the dynamics of the race.

Jenny Rissveds (Canyon XC Racing) surged to the front on the last lap, but Pieterse strategically used her leadout to execute a powerful sprint down the final straight, overtaking Nicole Koller (Lapierre PXR Racing) to claim the win. Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing) finished second, while Koller secured third place. Pieterse reflected, "I’ve missed it. Here it always gets quite bunchy on the road and slows down a bit, however, this year Jenny was setting such a high pace that it took me a bit to get to the front. When I was there, I just decided to stay there and tried to keep in control for the final sprint."

In the men’s race, Pidcock strategically started last to avoid the risks associated with a large bunch at the front. Following strong accelerations by Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon XC Racing) and Jordan Sarrou (BMC Factory Racing), Pidcock began to forge ahead on the fifth lap, eventually reaching the front. As the race progressed into its final stages, Pidcock made a significant effort on the final climb to take the lead. However, Azzaro quickly responded, using the momentum to outsprint Pidcock in the final straight, finishing ahead of him and locking in the victory. Dario Lillo (Giant Factory Off-Road Team XC) completed the podium. Azzaro expressed his pride in defeating Pidcock, stating, "It’s great to race with a champion like this." Meanwhile, Pidcock reflected on the challenges of returning to mountain biking, indicating his ongoing desire to win as he prepared for future races.