The only way to try to describe the 2024-2025 transfer season in women’s road racing is to compare it to a storm at sea. Fans of cycling were enjoying a nice sunny day on the boat that is women’s cycling only to look towards the horizon and find a wall of storm coming at them. For months the boat was thrown left and right as rumours of transfers swirled. Once confirmations started rolling in, it was clear the 2025 season would see a very different peloton.
A few of the major moves were applauded, some questioned, but there is no doubt the changes will do great things for women’s cycling. Talent still sits firmly on SD Worx-Protime’s side, especially with the return of Anna van der Breggen and the contract renewals of Lotte Kopecky and Lorena Wiebes, but other teams are stepping up their game, filling gaps in their team structures to try to rival the Dutch powerhouse squad.
To narrow down the top six transfers of the coming season would be near impossible with the amount of shifts the peloton is about to experience. Multiple teams made big moves, like Lidl-Trek – which lost its top star but picked up three fantastic riders; Canyon-SRAM – which is making the most of their new budget; and of course FDJ-Suez – which is building a stage-race super team with an eye on the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.
Although most of the announcements are finally public, the stormy seas haven’t fully calmed yet. The 2025 peloton will take some getting used to, not only for viewers and commentators but also for the riders themselves. So, without further ado, here are the biggest, most promising transfers of the 2025 season, and the ones with the biggest unknowns.
PROMISING: Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig to Canyon-SRAM
Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig thrived in her five seasons riding for FDJ-Suez. There were some rough patches when she had to start sharing leadership more, as well as some unlucky injuries that impacted her 2024 season, but overall the French team was a great fit for the Danish rider.
Her move to Canyon-SRAM is unsurprising, especially because of the new additions to FDJ-Suez. The French team has its eyes on a yellow jersey at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, and they built a team to make that possible. With the restructuring there was not much space left for Uttrup’s ambitions, so her move into a new program is the logical choice.
Canyon-SRAM itself is a good fit for Uttrup. There are fewer leaders, so she will have the space to go for her own results when it works out for the team as a whole. How Uttrup and Kasia Niewiadoma work together is a bit up in the air, but on paper, they should complement each other’s strengths quite well. Niewiadoma is better at longer climbs, be that the Mur de Huy in La Flèche Wallonne or the mountain passes of the Tour. Uttrup has a better sprint and on her best days is better at the Classics-style climbs. She can climb, so she is an asset to Niewiadoma when it comes to Grand Tours, but she allows another option for Canyon-SRAM at shorter stage races like Itzulia or Vuelta a Burgos.
Uttrup’s style of racing also fits well with Canyon-SRAM’s. It’s a team that loves to leave it all out there, that isn’t afraid to make the first move even if it means they lose the race (it’s been working out well for them the last two seasons). Uttrup’s hammer-down approach to racing will slot in perfectly at Canyon-SRAM.
UNKNOWN: Elisa Longo Borghini to UAE Team ADQ
Elisa Longo Borghini is going to bring a lot to UAE Team ADQ, there’s no doubt about that; the question is what can the team bring to the table to support the Giro d’Italia winner? Longo Borghini has brought Lidl-Trek teammates Brodie Chapman and Elynor Bäckstedt with her to the new team, so she’s not in a completely new environment, and much of the staff and management are Italian, which will be a great change for the Italian champion. But even with all that UAE Team ADQ will have a hard time re-creating the space Lidl-Trek carved out for Longo Borghini.
Longo Borghini had a really good thing going at Lidl-Trek, and everyone needs a change of pace every once in a while; overall her presence at UAE Team ADQ will make the team better, but whether or not she will be able to replicate her success with her American team of six years is another question.
PROMISING: Anna Henderson to Lidl-Trek
Anna Henderson’s move to Lidl-Trek is one of the top of the year. Not only will the team be able to help her future time trial goals – with their attention to detail and Henderson’s proximity to Ellen van Dijk, one of the best time trialists of all time – Henderson will also fill a space in the team that was perhaps missing in recent years.
The British time trial champion has an eye on the Classics season, and with Longo Borghini’s absence, Lidl-Trek will need a few people to step up. Henderson will be one of them, along with fellow newcomer Emma Norsgaard. Henderson told the Wheel Talk Podcast when she chatted with us in October that one of the reasons Lidl-Trek recruited her was because she was a “good person,” and anyone who’s had the privilege of chatting with Henderson will know that personality-wise she will do great at Lidl-Trek. It’s a team that values loyalty and character above raw power, and Henderson has all three.
UNKNOWN: Riejanne Markus to Lidl-Trek
While Henderson’s move to Lidl-Trek makes all the sense in the world, Riejanne Markus leaving Visma-Lease a Bike to join the American team will take some getting used to. Markus was due to switch jerseys at some point; she’s been riding in Dutch teams for almost her entire career, so she will definitely grow as a rider with Lidl-Trek and in the end she will be a good addition, but the question is what role exactly they want her to fill.
In the last two seasons, she’s attempted a pivot to GC rider, instead of time trialist/super domestique. That move hasn’t been unsuccessful, she ended up second overall at the Vuelta a España Femenina but fell short of Tour ambitions. If she’s meant to fill the spot Longo Borghini left behind when it comes to general classification, that will be a big ask. She has it in her, but so far she hasn’t been able to be as consistent as the Italian (to be fair, very few riders are).
There will definitely be one person mourning the loss of Markus at Visma-Lease a Bike: Marianne Vos. Across three teams, the two have been teammates since 2017 and Markus has been instrumental in many of Vos’ victories over the years. She will bring that power to Lidl-Trek, but will they be able to focus it in the right direction?
PROMISING: Marion Bunel to Visma-Lease a Bike
Visma-Lease a Bike hasn’t really had a GC contender since its formation. They have/had a few quality GC options, like Markus, for example, but not a rider who can fight for a podium at the Tour de France Femmes. Marion Bunel will be able to step into that need, in time. At 20 years old she’s still got a lot of learning to do, but her win at Tour de l’Avenir last year is a taste of what she will be capable of in the years to come.
The key is for Visma-Lease a Bike to support her as she grows and not put too much pressure on her in her first year on the team, but if they can manage this she will be an important addition to the Dutch team. Luckily, they will have Pauline Ferrand-Prévot gunning for the Tour next year, as well as a handful of the Classics, so Bunel will be able to ride in support of the French veteran and learn from her as the year goes on.
UNKNOWN: Marta Cavalli to DSM Firmenich-PostNL
Marta Cavalli’s talent on the bike is no secret, and neither is the fact that the Italian has struggled to get back to the top after her crash in the 2022 Tour de France Femmes. She’s got it in her; since that July there have been glimpses of the Cavalli that won the Amstel Gold Race and La Flèche Wallonne the spring before her crash, but she’s also suffered additional setbacks in that time that have held her back.
A microfracture in her pelvis – suffered during a training camp in February – kept her out of the peloton for most of the Classics season and even when she returned she only managed to race La Flèche Wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and the first two stages of the Vuelta a España Femenina before she was forced to withdraw from the Spanish stage race. She didn’t race again in 2024.
On the one hand, it’s fantastic that a team is keen to take a chance on her and dedicate themselves to getting her back into top form. On the other hand, DSM Firmenich-PostNL isn’t a team that is known for being considerate of riders’ feelings or understanding when it comes to setbacks. They are data-driven and extremely hands-on to a fault. This might be exactly what Cavalli needs, and to see her fighting for wins again would be amazing, but whether DSM can support her the same way FDJ-Suez has over her four years there remains unclear.
PROMISING: Cat Ferguson to Movistar
Any team would have been lucky to pick up Cat Ferguson. The rising British talent signed for the Spanish team before the end of 2024 and already picked up wins for them at AG Tour de la Semois, Binche-Chimay-Binche, plus the junior World Road and Time Trial Championship titles.
Movistar needs to be able to ease her into WorldTour racing in a way that doesn’t burn her out, seeing as she’s only 18 years old, but she’s shown already that she is capable of slotting into the peloton with limited fuss. Teams signing 18-year-olds is happening more and more often, and some youngsters suffer when thrown into the deep end. It does not look like Ferguson will be one of those riders, and Movistar will likely get some good results from her right from the start.
UNKNOWN: Juliette Labous to FDJ-Suez
This would be a great move, if not for the addition of another GC rider to the French team. Labous has made a name for herself as one of the better climbers in the peloton, securing a stage win at the Giro, in addition to finishing second overall at the Giro, fourth overall at the Vuelta and fifth overall at the Tour.
She is incredibly consistent and she would be a perfect companion for Évita Muzic, FDJ-Suez’s rising star, however, the team has also secured the next two years with Demi Vollering. Labous has the makings of a GC rider, but will likely not get a ton of options in that space between Muzic and Vollering. She will be a great domestique in the Grand Tours for both riders, but she is capable of so much more.
Her move to FDJ-Suez would be a lot more exciting if Vollering wasn’t also joining the team. As it is, there’s a good chance she will have fewer leadership opportunities than she did at DSM Firmenich-PostNL (the only pro team she’s ever known), and for someone who has spent the last couple of years being the go-to, that can sometimes end poorly.
PROMISING: Ingvild Gåskjenn to Uno-X Mobility
After a fantastic season with Liv AlUla Jayco, Ingvild Gåskjenn’s move to Uno-X Mobility was not only a fantastic get for the Norwegian team but also a good move for Gåskjenn. As a Norwegian rider, the team will be personally invested in Gåskjenn’s development and future in the sport but she’s also bringing a new opportunity for results to the team.
Uno-X Mobility is one of those teams that just does things right – they care about their riders. She will be in a familiar environment, with a familiar language and way of doing things that could only benefit her as a person and athlete. And for Uno-X Mobility, who have really struggled to earn their place in the WorldTour since the team’s creation, having someone with the promise of Gåskjenn will be a real mood-booster.
Her third place at the Amstel Gold Race was the highlight of her 2024 season, but Gåskjenn had some quieter performances worth noting, including fifth in the European road race, and fourth on a crucial day at the Vuelta. She’s a rider who has yet to discover her full potential, and hopefully, Uno-X Mobility can help her do that.
UNDECIDED: Demi Vollering to FDJ-Suez
Saving the best, biggest, and most consequential for last, Demi Vollering’s move to FDJ-Suez was one of the most talked-about transfers of the year. As this season made clear, the Dutchwoman definitely needed to leave SD Worx-Protime behind, but finding somewhere for her to ride isn’t easy when you’re stepping away from the top team in the sport.
Her presence on a team is so all-encompassing. Vollering can just about anything: She’s a top contender in the Classics and any stage race, especially Grand Tours, so carving out the massive amount of space that she needs isn’t something a team can just do. Signing Vollering means every rider on a team steps down a peg.
It’s hard to picture Vollering riding for anyone but SD Worx-Protime because the team has always been so good at managing a rider like her. They were able to successfully work with Anna van der Breggen for years while allowing other riders on the team to shine, but aside from the team-wide dominance of 2023, the same formula didn’t work for Vollering.
Of all the teams in the WorldTour, FDJ-Suez is maybe the best team to bring her on, but the picture of Vollering in the iconic blue, red and white jersey does not compute in the brain. It’s something that the whole cycling world, including the team themselves, will have to work out on the fly. Reading between the lines of Vollering’s internet-breaking interview, the positivity that radiates through the FDJ-Suez camp will be a great fit for her. So if they can find a way to make the puzzle work they won’t regret the addition.
Happy returns for Anna van der Breggen and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot?
Of course, the other biggest story of the year was the return of Anna van der Breggen and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot. Van der Breggen’s return to SD Worx-Protime as a rider means the team will not in any way feel the loss of Vollering. There’s no reason to believe Van der Breggen won’t be able to return to the top of the sport, and even if she doesn’t, her ability to pilot a team on the road as a rider will give the Dutch team wings. If she’s relegated to working for Lotte Kopecky, that will make the World Champion even more formidable.
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot is a bit more unknown in part because she’s been away from road racing for longer, but she’s been actively competing at the highest level in mountain bike, and at least in the one-days the Frenchwoman will add another level to Visma-Lease a Bike.
Both riders bring something exceptional with them to their respective teams, although Van der Breggen’s return to SD Worx-Protime is far more promising than Ferrand-Prévot to Visma-Lease a Bike. The Dutch team hasn’t formed a great reputation for themselves in recent years, with riders and staff leaving left and right.
Perhaps Ferrand-Prévot’s no-bullshit (can I say that?) attitude will whip the team into shape. They have all the resources to be one of the best teams in the sport, and since they’ve agreed to a three-year contract with the Frenchwoman they’ll need to deliver everything they can for her to achieve her not-so-minor goal of winning the Tour de France Femmes.
Honorary mentions
Cédrine Kerbaol to EF-Oatly-Cannondale: Kerbaol’s last-minute transfer was a bit of a shock, and it’s hard to say whether or not the move will be good for the Frenchwoman. She’s enjoyed so much freedom and success while at Ceratizit-WNT, but she wouldn’t have broken her contract if she didn’t believe it was the best move for her future and EF-Oatly-Cannondale has proven itself to be one of the most supportive teams in the game. She will add a lot to the team in the way of legs-to-paper results. Her Tour stage win over the summer was just a sampling of what she’s capable of, with the right support she can build upon that in the coming years.
Alexandra Manly to AG Insurance-Soudal: It’s not every day an Australian leaves Liv AlUla Jayco. Manly will be a fantastic addition to AG Insurance-Soudal, and with the Olympics behind her she will be fully committed to the road next year.
Chiara Consonni to Canyon-SRAM: Canyon-SRAM needed a top sprinter, and Consonni needs a team that is going to back her potential. The Italian sprinter can take on the likes of Charlotte Kool and Lorena Wiebes with the right team behind her.
Elise Chabbey to FDJ-Suez: With their GC ambitions covered, Chabbey will likely get FDJ’s nod to go for stage wins and one-days. They won’t want to change her, only help her hone her methods in a more efficient way.
Thalita de Jong to Human Powered Health: Like Uno-X Mobility, Human Powered Health have struggled to deserve a WorldTour contract. What better way to find their footing at the top of the sport than signing someone with the experience of De Jong?
Marlen Reusser to Movistar: The former European time trial champion is another rider leaving SD Worx-Protime for a new outfit. The Swiss rider will head to Movistar at the start of 2025, after a year basically off the bike. A nasty crash at the Tour of Flanders impacted the early season for Reusser and complications from illness kept her off the road for both the Olympic Games and her home World Championships. In some ways, a move to a new team after such a horrible year might be just the thing Reusser needs: a reset. She was an integral part of SD Worx-Protime while there, and will no doubt add value to the Spanish team in the years to come.
Niamh Fisher-Black and Emma Norsgaard to Lidl-Trek: We’re looking at a new age for Lidl-Trek, with the loss of Longo Borghini. Fisher-Black and Norsgaard are fantastic signings for the American team. Their personalities will integrate well with the team and they both bring unique qualities that will benefit the team in almost every race.
Marta Lach to SD Worx-Protime: One of SD Worx-Protime’s new signings, Lach has carried Ceratizit-WNT in her time with the team. She will be able to learn from the very best on the Dutch team and grow immensely as a rider.
Geerike Schreurs to SD Worx-Protime: Without Christine Majerus – who retired after 11 seasons with the team – SD Worx-Protime will need someone willing to gut themselves on the front of the peloton. Schreurs has not only the legs but also the attitude to do just that.
Sarah Roy to EF-Oatly-Cannondale: Roy’s racing experience will be a huge benefit to EF-Oatly-Cannondale and hopefully the American team can rehabilitate a fantastic rider who’s been given the short end of the stick in the last couple of years.
Lonneke Uneken to VolkerWessels: Uneken’s early years at SD Worx-Protime were promising but as the team evolved she was left behind. A move back to a smaller team will mean she gets more opportunities, more attention and hopefully a better future.
Did we do a good job with this story?