'I have no idea what to expect' – Influencer Puck Moonen returns to pro peloton after four years out

Puck Moonen cyclo-cross — (Image credit: Getty Images)

After four years away from pro road racing spent building a huge Instagram following as an influencer, former Lotto-Soudal rider Puck Moonen returns to the professional peloton today at the UCI 1.1 Veenendaal-Veenendaal race in the Netherlands.

Moonen will head up the MtD Women's Elite team, a club-level outfit, and will race against riders from the top teams including Charlotte Kool of Fenix-Premier Tech and Femke Gerritse of SD Worx-Protime. The race has great pedigree too, with a roster of former winners that includes Lotte Kopecky and Annemiek Van Vleuten.

"Pretty excited to pin on a number again tomorrow for my home race Veenendaal-Veenendaal with the girls from MtD," Moonen told her 880,000 Instagram followers. "Exactly 6 months after surgery on a narrowed iliac artery I didn't really expect to line up for a UCI 1.1 race already but I'll happily take it!

"After a couple rough weeks I have no idea what to expect (actually, I'm nervous af)," she added, "but the weather is good and I'm just grateful to be in this position and have the opportunity to race at home on some of my fav roads!"

The Dutch 30-year-old rode for Lotto-Soudal for three seasons between 2017 and 2019 before switching to lower level squads in the Continental and Elite ranks.

The last high-level road race that Moonen rode was the GP Mazda Schelkens at the end of the 2022 season, but she has certainly not stepped away from the sport in the intervening years. As well as building cycling influencer status, she has competed in gravel races including the Sea Otter Classic in California last year, where she was 48th, and ridden the UCI Gravel World Championships.

As well as having her femoral artery operated on, Moonen endured a cervical cancer scare in 2023, when she had suspect cells removed.

Veenendaal-Veenendaal is 120km long and based on laps of the town. Whether it signifies a toe in the water of an ongoing road focus for Moonen is unclear. Perhaps that will be dictated by how she performs today, or perhaps she simply wanted to be involved in what is her home race – located around 50km north of her birthplace of Sint Michielsgestel.

After cutting his teeth on local and national newspapers, James began at Cycling Weekly as a sub-editor in 2000 when the current office was literally all fields.

Eventually becoming chief sub-editor, in 2016 he switched to the job of full-time writer, and covers news, racing and features.

He has worked at a variety of races, from the Classics to the Giro d'Italia – and this year will be his seventh Tour de France.

A lifelong cyclist and cycling fan, James's racing days (and most of his fitness) are now behind him. But he still rides regularly, both on the road and on the gravelly stuff.