SD Worx are sending a talent-packed team to the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, which begins on Sunday, July 23 in Clermont-Ferrand, to back the world's top ranked rider and leader of the Women's WorldTour, Demi Vollering.
The 26 year old came second to Annemiek van Vleuten at the race last year, with a 3:48 deficit to the dominant Movistar rider, however Vollering has shown signs that she may be closing the gap between her and the retiring powerhouse.
"With Demi Vollering we aspire to achieve the full yellow," says team director Danny Stam.
Vollering won five of the Spring Classics including all three Ardennes Classics, and the Vuelta a Burgos. She was also second to teammate Marlen Reusser in the Tour de Suisse and Itzulia Women, plus was runner up to Van Vleuten at La Vuelta Femenina with a deficit of just nine seconds.
"Her spring was sublime," said Stam. "At her first opportunity in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, she immediately hit the mark. She will continue that line this season. Hopefully, she will also succeed in the Tour de France Femmes."
SD Worx have four riders in the top 5 of the UCI rankings and all are on the Tour de France Femmes team with Reusser, sprinter Lorena Wiebes and Tour of Flanders winner Lotte Kopecky joining Vollering. There are also the veteran domestiques Italian Elena Cecchini and Christine Majerus plus Mischa Bredewold, who finished second in the young riders classification in the 2022 Tour de France Femmes.
Although defending Tour champion Van Vleuten found her usual top form en route to victory in the Giro d'Italia Donne, Stam says Vollering is mentally stronger this year.
"Demi has proven 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 Dutch time trial, you can say that you belong to the world's best. It will be an interesting battle, in the mountains and against the clock."
The Tour de France route includes only one major summit finish but it's on the iconic Col du Tourmalet and comes one day before the closing 22km time trial in Pau.
"We chose a group that is complementary and has the qualities to create course situations," Stam said. That group includes one of the sport's top sprinters in Wiebes, too.
"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," said Stam.
"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."
In Kopecky and Reusser, SD Worx also have riders who can slip into breakaways for stage wins or, in Reusser's case, be a super domestique and backup plan for the general classification.
