'To prove it, again and again, is a huge challenge' says manager Stam as Dutch team maintains commitment to developing talent
SD Worx at the Tour de France Femmes(Image credit: Getty Images)
Movistar's Annemiek van Vleuten may have dominated at the biggest stage races at Giro d'Italia Donne and Tour de France Femmes, but it was SD Worx's consistency in gaining points with wins, podiums and in the top 10 throughout the season, while also developing up-and-coming talent, that has won them overall team classifications in the UCI Ranking and the Women's WorldTour.
The powerful Dutch team has topped both rankings for six of the previous seven seasons as they keep a tight grip on their status as the most dominant women's team in the world.
"I am definitely proud of that. It shows that for years we have managed to be the best team in the most important race series. To prove it, again and again, is a huge challenge. Especially when you see in recent years that the competition is getting bigger and bigger," said Sports Manager Danny Stam.
"Many WorldTour teams have joined, setting up a women's team in addition to a men's team. They all build a team around two to three top female riders. Nowadays, you see that even in women's cycling the talents are committed much earlier. To then win the WorldTour for so many years in a different composition, I think, is a great achievement."
The Women's WorldTour replaced the former World Cup one-day race series in 2016 with then Boels Dolmans topping the charts, and they have gone on to win team classifications on the UCI Ranking and Women's WorldTour in 2016-2019 and 2021-2022. Trek-Segafredo won both series rankings in 2021.
This year, SD Worx secured 20 victories, and 11 of those were part of the Women's WorldTour in 2022. It wasn't their most successful season in terms of the number of victories, however. Last year, the team took 33 wins, and in 2018 they had 26 wins, in 2017 they had 28 wins, and in 2016 they had 38 wins.
Their biggest achievements this year included Lotte Kopecky's wins at Strade Bianche and Tour of Flanders, Demi Vollering winning the overall title at Itzuia Women, Marlene Reasseur winning a stage and Vollering was second overall at the Tour de France Femmes, and Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio closed out the season with the overall win at Tour de Romandie.
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"We started the season very strongly. So the Spring Classics went well with nice victories in the Ronde van Vlaanderen, Strade Bianche and Brabantse Pijl, among others. That spring created a lot of expectations. In Spain, we still raced well, but then we had a down period. In the Tour de France Femmes, we were good again. Then we performed below par in Norway, Sweden and in the Simac Ladies Tour. If you end the season in Romandie like that again, you can be satisfied. That also shows the resilience within the group," Stam said.
Stam also acknowledged the importance of consistency on an international calendar that is growing every season to include longer and more challenging races.
"[The UCI World Ranking] is something we can be proud of. We had another good season and several nice wins. It's not just those 20 wins but also 47 podium finishes. Women's cycling has been developing in recent years. The calendar is getting fuller, and the level is higher and higher. There are more teams with strong performances across the board. It gives me a good feeling when I see how often we can still make a mark on a race. Of course, you also have a few down periods. If you are a few percent less, you will be immediately beaten. Only when everything is right, do you compete for wins. However, it would also not be good if you win everything all year," Stam said.
This year saw the rebirth of the women's Tour de France Femmes, an event that Stam called a 'gamechanger' in women's cycling. He praised ASO for its work in adding women's events to both marquee events, Paris-Roubaix and Tour de France, during the last two seasons.
"The Tour de France Femmes is a gamechanger for women's cycling. This is next-level. Organiser Amaury Sport Organisation is not the fastest to introduce women's cycling, but when they go for it, something is immediately in place. We saw that last year with Paris-Roubaix and now certainly with the Tour de France Femmes," he said.
"It is abundantly clear that this stage race will be a very important moment in the season. A peak moment that we will be living towards. Of course, the spring with the Monuments retains its value, but the importance of the Tour de France Femmes is already very high after just one edition."
SD Worx has placed a priority on signing up-and-coming talent, which has led to a strong development of key riders coming up through their ranks each season.
Blanka Vas and Anna Shackley have extended their contracts at Team SD Worx through 2024. Along with Niamh Fisher-Black and Lonneke Uneken, they are four of the biggest talents in women's cycling, and they plan to continue to develop and hone in on their specific targets during the next two years, ensuring the future of the team at the highest level.
Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.
Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.
She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.
