Labecki-Vos one-two punch back in play for Jumbo-Visma Women - 2023 Team Preview

It was not supposed to be a déjà vu season for Jumbo-Visma in 2022, although 12 wins and a top-10 finish in the Women’s WorldTour UCI rankings reverberated as a success. Led by Marianne Vos, Jumbo-Visma amplified its power at the start of the year with the addition of can’t-miss US rider Coryn Labecki.

However, the one-two punch with Vos and Labecki never got a chance to develop as Labecki, a former Tour of Flanders and Women's Tour winner, only raced 18 days in her new team colours after five years at Team DSM. Jumbo-Visma won’t skip a beat for 2023, however, as they have an opportunity to reprise the double impact, plus throw in a wildcard on the road with U23 cyclocross powerhouse Fem van Empel.

Jumbo-Visma replicated a dozen road wins for a second consecutive year, courtesy of Vos and a stable of returning riders that included Anna Henderson and Riejanne Markus, as well as newcomer Noemi Rüegg’s U23 ITT Swiss title. The results landed the team in 10th overall in the UCI World rankings and seventh in the Women’s WorldTour rankings, with 13 of 14 riders scoring WorldTour points. 

Vos again carried the weight of the team with road victories, eight in stage races last season - two at the Giro d’Italia Donne, two at Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, and four at Tour of Scandinavia. Her speed and explosiveness thrust her into the Tour’s yellow jersey for five days, and she secured the points jersey. She called it a "dream come true" when she won stage six in Rosheim wearing the yellow jersey.

The Dutchwoman checked off a few remaining to-do items on her palmares at the rebirth of the Tour de France Femmes. Across her 16-year career, Vos has amassed over 200 wins, including eight cyclocross world titles plus the new national title at the Dutch gravel championships. 

A healthy Labecki could not only help Vos add more victories, but the Californian can easily add to the team’s win count on her own. She's used to winning, having amassed 72 national titles in multiple disciplines since she began racing as a junior.

 In the spring Classics last year, Labecki took sixth at Trofeo Alfredo Binda and ninth at Amstel Gold Race. But over the months of spring she battled COVID-19 twice and a stomach bug right after The Women’s Tour, which left her in fifth place at the US Pro Road National Championships, her lowest result since one victory and five silver medals in the last six editions. 

Following that ride, she sought redemption with a high-altitude camp in Colorado, but the lofty roads to reach lofty goals at the Tour de France Femmes did not materialise.

“A win at the women’s Tour de France, it’s a big goal. I’m more of a stage race rider, a one-day kind of rider. So that’s what we’ll be looking for, stages,” Labecki told Cyclingnews optimistically in Knoxville after nationals. 

It was Vos who took the reins in France as Labecki had to rest and recover. Her return at the Simac Ladies Tour ended abruptly, as she had to withdraw after suffering a broken collarbone and fractured rib. Season over.

Vos is undoubtedly the major strength and leader of the team, on all surfaces. Now  35, she will also resume her role as a mentor for teammates, especially with the addition of 20-year-old Van Empel, on and off the road.

The team completed its 2023 roster in early December with 16 riders. Joining Van Empel for an inaugural season are Eva van Agt, 25, 18-year-old Dutch neo-pros Nienke Veenhoven and Rosita Reijnhout, 19-year-old Maud Oudeman from Canyon-SRAM and 20-year-old Kiwi Kim Cadzow from the Torelli team.

The dress rehearsal as a WorldTour team proved Jumbo-Visma still depends on Vos. A healthy lineup and exploits of young riders gives the Dutch team multiple options for one-day successes and stage races.

Other storylines to follow in 2023

• Among the influx of young riders at Jumbo-Visma is Riejanne Markus, who rode solo to a stunning victory in the fourth stage of the Simac Ladies Tour in 2022. She also added her first Dutch national title in the women’s road race and also took the silver medal in the time trial. The versatile 28-year-old confirmed another two years with the Dutch team to carry her through 2024. 
• Fem van Empel, the U23 cyclocross world champion and elite women's 'cross European champion, signed a two-year contract with Jumbo-Visma to pose a threat on the road as she develops under the tutorage of fellow Dutchwoman Vos. She is also a national mountain bike champion and will continue to pursue off-road goals in the summer. Van Empel was third in the U23 road race at European Continental championships last year, and showed her strength in climbing at Lotto Thüringen Ladies Tour where she finished in the top 10 on stage 3, marked with multiple laps over the 8.4% Dõrtendorf ascent. “The highest a rider can achieve is joining a World Tour squad, and I now get the chance,” she said in advance of moving across to the top tier of women’s racing.