PIRELLI IS OFFICIAL PARTNER OF THE UCI WOMEN’S WORLDTEAM FENIX-DECEUNINCK
THE TECHNICAL FEEDBACK OF THE ATHLETES WILL PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN DEVELOPING PIRELLI’S CYCLING TYRES
Together with the Alpencin-Deceuninck men’s team, Pirelli is going to be – until 2029 – the official partner of the Women’s WorldTeam Fenix-Deceuninck, led by the Roodhooft brothers
The multidisciplinary expertise and experience of athletes such as Puck Pieterse and the newly appointed Performance Mentor Annemiek van Vleuten are crucial to the development of Pirelli’s cycling tyres.
Milan, Italy, 21st March 2025 – From January 2025 to 2029 Pirelli is also going to be the official partner of the Women’s WorldTeam Fenix-Deceuninck.
The team, managed by Philip and Christoph Roodhooft, made its debut on Pirelli tyres at the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the Strade Bianche, and is about to compete at the Milano-Sanremo Donne race this weekend.
One of the team’s top athletes is Puck Pieterse, a multi-time champion and a key figure in modern cycling. The reigning MTB XCO World Champion and the Best Young Rider of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift of 2024, Pieterse is known for her ability to seamlessly transition between different cycling disciplines.
PUCK PIETERSE’S EXPERIENCE AT THE SERVICE OF PIRELLI
Here is what the Dutch athlete had to say about her experience with Pirelli’s P Zero and Scorpion XC tyres: “To me a road tyre must have low rolling resistance and adapt well to the terrain. My experience with the Pirelli tyres has been excellent from the start, I always felt confident in corners and fast on descents. The mountain bike tyres I’ve tested were also impressive, offering low rolling resistance and great grip”.
Pieterse’s ability to easily switch effortlessly between gravel, cyclocross, road and mountain biking makes her a precious asset for Pirelli.
“To me it’s important to move between disciplines. It keeps me mentally fresh and prevents me from focusing on just one thing – Pieterse said - Of course, training varies accordingly”.
This great versatility enables her to compete, and win, in a very diverse range of competitions, be it road cycling, cyclocross or MTB cycling. This technical adaptability makes her an ideal partner for Pirelli.
Thanks to her technical expertise, which has been honed by cycling on terrains ranging from mud to paved roads, from slippery terrains to compact trails, from gravel to rocks and roots, Pieterse can offer Pirelli technicians valuable feedback that is conducive to the development of the company’s cycling tyres.
ANNEMIEK VAN VLEUTEN JOINS THE TEAM AS PERFORMANCE MENTOR
Starting from this year, the team has also welcomed a new Performance Mentor: former Dutch professional cyclist Annemiek van Vleuten, who needs no introduction as she won the Tour, the Giro and the Road World Championships all in the same year (2022).
Van Vleuten competed using Pirelli tyres from 2018 to 2020, thus making a major contribution to the development of the then brand-new P ZERO Velo range. Many of her greatest victories were achieved with Pirelli tyres, including the 2018 Road World Championships - Women’s Time Trial, the 2019 Road World Championships, as well as two Strade Bianche (2019-2020) and two Giro d’Italia Donne (2018-2019).
Annemiek has often trained with male cyclists and in 2019 and 2020 she participated in the pre-season training camps with the men’s team. Her feedback was instrumental in refining Pirelli’s first tubeless tyres, the P ZERO Race TLR.
“Our goal is to develop tyres that meet the needs of every kind of cyclist, regardless of their speed, weight, cycling style or sex. In this respect, our partnership with the Fenix-Deceuninck Women’s team is particularly important”, said Felice Cusmai, Pirelli Cycling’s commercial director. “This team is made up of world-class, interdisciplinary athletes, whose feedback will be invaluable for the evolution of our cycling tyres. We are also happy to once again work with Annemiek. Her attention to detail and her sensitivity when it comes to technical materials have always been a great asset for Pirelli, ever since the start of our project in the cycling world”.
The interview is available on the Pirelli Instagram page @pirellicycling and on the YouTube channel Puck Pieterse: Cycling's Next Big Thing