Team SD Worx made a clean sweep of the podium at the 2021 Giro .
TEAM SD WORX
Leaders of the UCI rankings in 2021 , Team SD Worx is the team everyone fears in the peloton . It had 32 victories in 2021 and continues to live up to its reputation as a winning machine even after the retirement of Anna van der Breggen . Two-time world champion , Olympic champion , four-time Giro d ’ Italia winner and seven-time winner of La Flèche Wallonne , the Dutch rider hung up her wheels at the end of 2021 . However she ’ s still with the team , and now directing manoeuvres from the sports director ’ s car . Winner of the Giro d ’ Italia Donne last year , Van der Breggen was joined on the final podium by teammates Ashleigh Moolman Pasio and Demi Vollering , symbolic of the team ’ s hegemony .
“ In this first women ’ s Tour , we ’ ll try to get some stage victories but also a place on the final podium in the Vosges ,” says sports director Danny Stam . “ I think the podium is a legitimate target for us . But as anything can happen in an eight-day stage race , we ’ ll have to start with some other options so that we can react to different race scenarios and unforeseen events .”
His comments reflect the fact that women ’ s cycling is becoming increasingly competitive . “ The era when the same rider could win a bunch sprint and then win a mountainous stage race a few weeks later is now over . The level of the women ’ s peloton has undoubtedly increased in recent years ,” says Stam . “ The competitive level is higher , and the broad mix of stages on this first Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will certainly underline that , as the route is extremely well balanced .”
the biggest favourites given her performances in past Giros . But I ’ m feeling really confident and ready to go out there and give my absolute best to beat her .
Elisa Longo Borghini will be one to watch , as will Katarzyna Niewiadoma , Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig and Marta Cavalli . Then there ’ s also Marianne Vos . I don ’ t think she really stands a chance of the overall win , because I think the climbing just gets a little bit too tough for her . But she will be going
for that yellow jersey early on and will probably do her best to place the good climbers under pressure so that we can ’ t just wait for the final days . We ’ ll have to be attentive , make sure that there are no splits in the winds or any time gaps with the more punchy stages .
You have played a strong role lobbying for women ’ s cycling so some credit to you for this . How are you and your team planning to race ? We as the women ’ s peloton have been lobbying for a Tour de France Femmes for many years . And it really is a dream come true to see it happen . At one point , I thought I would never see it in my career , so I ’ m really grateful to be able to race it this year .
I think the pandemic provided a real turning point because Zwift became such a prominent platform . In my view , this all happened because ASO approached Zwift for a virtual Tour de France . Zwift have always prioritised equality and I ’ m certain they motivated strongly for a women ’ s edition . And of course the virtual race went well , with good numbers of fans , which really demonstrated that women ’ s cycling is a viable business that is becoming more and more popular . Zwift has backed us from the beginning and they ’ ve continued to do so by sponsoring the Tour de France Femmes .
Of course SD Worx is planning to win it , and as I ’ ve said , we ’ ll have a strong team with Demi and myself as GC contenders , Lotte Kopecky as our sprinter , and strong , dedicated workers in Chantal Van den Broek-Blaak , Christine Majerus and Marlen
I ’ M GOING FOR THE OVERALL YELLOW JERSEY . IT ’ S A BIG GOAL FOR ME ”
Reusser . We ’ re going to be giving our absolute best on every day . We ’ ll be targeting early stage wins with Lotte or puncheuses like Marlen and Chantal . Demi and I will be doing our best to save every ounce of energy we can for the last three stages , which are really hard . We ’ ll finish on the La Super Planche des Belle Filles , where I ’ m super confident in my abilities . Whoever rises to the challenge on the day will be the one to win . But SD Worx will certainly be the team to beat . ●
PHOTOGRAPH : TORNANTI . CC , INSTAGRAM
24 | TOUR DE FRANCE 2022