Team SD Worx goes for yellow dream in Tour de France Femmes

Team SD Worx goes for yellow dream in Tour de France Femmes

"Our ambition is to win the Tour"

17/07/2023

Following a successful season so far, Team SD Worx is also setting high targets for the upcoming Tour de France Femmes. With Demi Vollering, the Dutch WorldTeam is aiming for overall victory in the most important stage race of the year. To achieve this, she will be supported by Mischa Bredewold, Elena Cecchini, Lotte Kopecky, Christine Majerus, Marlen Reusser and Lorena Wiebes. "Our goal is to take home the yellow jersey. With this strong and balanced line-up, we will do everything we can to achieve that," sports manager Danny Stam looks ahead.

Linked race Tour de France - Linked cyclists Lotte Kopecky Demi Vollering Elena Cecchini Christine Majerus Marlen Reusser Lorena Wiebes Mischa Bredewold - Gekoppelde ploegleiders: Anna van der Breggen Danny Stam

Team SD Worx is heading to the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift with a rock-solid selection. Danny Stam: "We chose a group that is complementary and has the qualities to create course situations. That's no guarantee that you can just bend the Tour to your will. I explored course recently and came to the conclusion that it is a tough course with some stages that are really tough. You can lose the Tour de France in the blink of an eye. You have to be sharp every day because an accident lurks in a small corner. Demi Vollering has stepped up in every area and is better than last year, but the competition has also come back stronger in recent weeks. I expect we will have a nice Tour with a lot of fight."

Demi Vollering

Danny Stam: "With Demi Vollering we aspire to achieve the full yellow. Her spring was sublime. At her first opportunity in Strade Bianche, she immediately hit the mark. She will continue that line this season. Hopefully she will also succeed in the Tour de France Femmes. Defending champion Annemiek van Vleuten proved in the Giro Donne that she is back on level. Last year, she was still a size too big, but Demi has proved in all respects that she has made strides. That will make a difference. Especially mentally, she has become much stronger. This season there is a time trial in the course for the first time. Because we have so few of them in a year, it is difficult to assess the value ratios in that discipline. But if, like Demi, you finish on the podium at the NK time trial, you can say that you belong to the world top. It will be an interesting battle, in the mountains and against the clock." 

Lorena Wiebes

Danny Stam: "The advantage of taking Lorena along is that with her sprint you always have an extra weapon. On top of that, she is a seriously good team player, who can completely give herself away for the collective. She has become a lot more complete this year and can also manage the team well. She has nestled fantastically into our team. With Lorena, you are guaranteed a chance of winning in a number of stages."

Lotte Kopecky

Danny Stam: "Lotte has taken another considerable step in my eyes. She has gained even more volume. The arrival of Lorena Wiebes has done her no harm. She can race much more freely. She can attack when the opportunity arises and go all-in without having to leave anything for a possible sprint. She is also a great team player. Of course we make a selection with the idea of winning races, but we also try to put together a group that fits together. Lotte plays an important part in that. She will dedicate herself to serving the team when necessary, but she also has the qualities to go her own way. So there will definitely be rides where she gets a free hand."

Marlen Reusser

Danny Stam: "Marlen's selection for the Tour de France Femmes is a logical choice. Last year she won the gravel stage in a very nice way. She has made strides in the uphill stages, while she is among the absolute world's best as a time trialist. Before Marlen signed with Team SD Worx, she had already proved that she can ride a stretch uphill and go for an overall classification. Although she too has become a lot stronger this season. In the Tour of Switzerland, she was rock solid. Her form is good, so she will be an important support for Demi Vollering in this Tour."

Elena Cecchini

Danny Stam: "Elena Cechini is making her debut in this year's Tour de France Femmes. Elena is actually a bit like the 'mother hen' in the group. She always creates a good atmosphere. You can never go wrong by selecting her for a race. Not only does she have a nice personality, she also understands the course. You can always count on her. You need people like that in your team. Riders like Christine Majerus and Elena Cecchini need few words. They know what is expected and you can one hundred per cent trust them to carry out team orders to perfection."

Christine Majerus

Danny Stam: "Christine is one of the silent forces behind the success of Team SD Worx . She always takes on a lot of work. The successful year we are experiencing would not be possible without riders like Christine Majerus. She never moans and understands the game. There was a question mark as to whether she would make it to this Tour de France Femmes. She has had problems with her health (Epstein virus). From her training sessions in recent weeks, we can conclude that she is regaining her good level. And then you just want Christine Majerus in your Tour selection. Together with Elena Cecchini, we have two experienced rotors with her."

Mischa Bredewold

Danny Stam: "Mischa Bredewold finished second in the youth classification of the Tour de France Femmes last year. With Mischa, you have a rider who has great power in her. Who can ride in the lead for long periods if a breakaway needs to be brought back. She can pound on the pedals and you need such riders in the Tour de France. She can also do a good time trial. In short, a logical selection after a strong year from this talented rider."

Tour de France Femmes line-up:

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