Demi Vollering joins FDJ-Suez on two-year deal as shake-up in women's cycling continues
By Rhys Jones
Published 28/10/2024 at 18:12 GMT
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Former Tour de France Femmes champion Demi Vollering has penned a two-year contract with FDJ-Suez to co-lead with Evita Muzic and new signing Juliette Labous. The 27-year-old, who won La Vuelta Femenina and finished second at the 2024 Tour despite an early crash, is one of the standout names in the women's peloton. FDJ-Suez are assembling a squad they hope can challenge SD Worx-Protime.
Vollering calls Tour de France Femmes defeat 'really sour' after costly Stage 5 crash
Video credit: TNT Sports
Demi Vollering has signed a two-year contract with FDJ-Suez, arriving from SD Worx-Protime for the 2025 season.
The Dutchwoman has penned a two-year deal and joins as co-leader alongside Evita Muzic and new signing Juliette Labous.
Vollering, who is arguably the leading rider in the women's peloton, marks a statement signing for FDJ-Suez after she won the 2023 Tour de France Femmes.
She missed out on defending her yellow jersey in the summer, however, after an unfortunate crash and some bizarre tactics from her SD Worx-Protime team-mates.
"From the very first meeting with the FDJ-Suez team, I immediately had a good feeling," Vollering said. "I couldn't get the smile off my face.
"I'm happy to be embarking on this adventure, to experience something new and to rediscover myself in this team.
"I've always liked the collective fighting spirit of FDJ-Suez and its attacking mentality during races. We're going to have a great team and I'm convinced that great things await us."
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Vollering rider is the latest of six new signings for FDJ-Suez ahead of the 2025 season, alongside Labous, Elise Chabbey, Ally Wollaston, Eglantine Rayer and Celia Gery, as they build a team to challenge SD Worx.
They also witnessed the departures of long-time co-leaders Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig and Marta Cavalli, the former heading to Canyon-SRAM while Cavalli has yet to announce a team for 2025.
FDJ-Suez general manager Stephen Delcourt confirmed that Vollering signed her contract with the team in the spring, but kept the announcement under wraps so she and her team could focus on her season goals.
"It is important to remember that it is a great day for the FDJ-Suez team and it's a great day for cycling, and for French cycling, to be honest, to sign the best rider for the GC in a French team," Delcourt said.
"We can compare the model of cycling, between men's and women's cycling, but it is the first time that a star rider has accepted a deal with the French team.
"This has been an ambition for our team and during the last three years, and three editions of the Tour de France, our sport has changed a lot. This new ambition for our team is to be not just a team in women's cycling but to be a cycling and sport team in general, for this image, it's impossible to dream bigger than to sign Demi now.
"The official agreement was signed during the end of the spring, and after that, we decided to focus on my side on my team and on her side on SD Worx, because we felt that, together, it was better to wait [to announce the agreement]. Why? She has a big respect for the SD Worx partners and her team-mates. For that, the best was for her to focus on the Olympics, Tour and Worlds, and to wait."
Reigning Dutch champion Vollering will be a co-leader at FDJ-Suez alongside Muzic and Labous, Delcourt confirmed.
Muzic was fourth at the Tour de France Femmes this year and Labous filled the same spot in the 2022 edition.
"We have one of the best teams on paper," Delcourt added. "The most important now is how we can have the best team for all of the races; Tour de France and Classics, and the most important thing is the synergy of all the riders.
"We have our three GC leaders: Vollering, Muzic and Labous, but we also have riders Vittoria Guazzini, Elise Chabbey and Ally Wollaston, riders who are good and can be at the top. If we are good as a team, we have riders for the future and we can win a lot."
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