AG Insurance-Soudal have confirmed their seven-rider squad for the Tour de France Femmes 2026, with Kim Le Court-Pienaar leading the team’s general classification challenge after her breakthrough performance in the race last year.
Le Court-Pienaar will be supported by Justine Ghekiere, Shari Bossuyt, Mireia Benito, Letizia Borghesi, Urška Žigart and Lore De Schepper for the nine-stage race from Lausanne to Nice.
The selection gives AG Insurance-Soudal several options beyond the overall classification. Ghekiere and Žigart strengthen the mountain support around Le Court-Pienaar, Bossuyt provides a fast finish for reduced sprints and Borghesi adds another rider suited to selective and unpredictable stages.
The balance fits the wider direction of the AG Insurance-Soudal 2026 Women’s WorldTour team, which has increasingly built its strongest results around aggressive racing and clearly defined leaders.
Le Court-Pienaar returns as the clear GC leader
Le Court-Pienaar heads into the Tour with a very different status from 12 months ago.
The Mauritian champion won a stage and spent four days in yellow at the previous edition, while her broader 2025 season also included victory at Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes. That development from Classics contender into credible stage-race leader makes her one of the more interesting names in the Tour de France Femmes 2026 GC field.
Sports manager Jolien D’hoore confirmed that the overall classification is the team’s main objective.
“Kim Le Court-Pienaar will be our leader for the general classification, supported by Justine Ghekiere and Urška Žigart, who both have the climbing qualities to make a real difference in the mountains,” D’hoore said.
Le Court-Pienaar’s route is not straightforward. The 21km Dijon time trial on Stage 4 can create meaningful early gaps, while Mont Ventoux and the final mountain stage around Nice place a much greater premium on sustained climbing than the punchier terrain where she has already proved herself.
Photo Credit: GettyGhekiere and Žigart strengthen the mountain support
Ghekiere gives AG Insurance-Soudal proven Tour pedigree in the mountains. The Belgian has previously won both a Tour de France Femmes stage and the mountains classification, making her an important domestique for Le Court-Pienaar as well as a potential stage hunter if the race situation allows.
Žigart adds another strong climbing option, and her inclusion is significant after fracturing her jaw at the Tour de Suisse. She avoided surgery and returned to training, leaving enough time to rebuild towards the Tour.
If Žigart arrives close to her best, AG Insurance-Soudal should have enough depth to support Le Court-Pienaar deep into the harder stages rather than leaving their leader isolated once the main GC teams begin applying pressure.
That will matter particularly on the Mont Ventoux summit finish, the clearest sustained climbing test of the race.
Photo Credit: GettyBossuyt gives AG Insurance-Soudal another way to win
The team are not building the entire Tour around the general classification.
New Belgian champion Shari Bossuyt gives AG Insurance-Soudal another card if one of the flatter or hilly stages ends with a reduced bunch. D’hoore specifically highlighted her finishing speed as an option the team can use away from Le Court-Pienaar’s GC campaign.
“For the more demanding and unpredictable stages, we can count on Letizia Borghesi and our newly crowned Belgian Champion Shari Bossuyt,” she said. “Shari has shown she still possesses a strong sprint, so if an opportunity arises in a reduced bunch finish, she will certainly be one of our cards to play.”
Bossuyt is unlikely to be the team’s answer to Lorena Wiebes in a pure sprint, but several stages on the Tour de France Femmes 2026 route contain enough climbing to remove some of the fastest riders before the finish.
That is where her presence becomes more interesting.
Benito and Borghesi add experience and tactical freedom
Mireia Benito brings additional experience after winning both Spanish national titles this season, while Borghesi gives the team another rider capable of contributing across hilly stages and breakaway scenarios.
Borghesi’s arrival for 2026 strengthened a roster already built around Le Court-Pienaar, Ghekiere and the team’s climbing depth. Her durability and ability to race selectively give AG Insurance-Soudal another option when committing the whole squad to controlling the peloton would make little tactical sense.
Those qualities could become particularly important during the middle of the race. Stages 5 and 6 are among the strongest opportunities for aggressive racing, with repeated climbing and enough uncertainty for the Tour de France Femmes breakaway specialists to influence the result.
AG Insurance-Soudal will not necessarily need to chase every stage around Le Court-Pienaar. Having Borghesi, Bossuyt or another rider represented in a strong move can allow the team to protect its GC leader while still racing for the stage.
De Schepper continues her Grand Tour development
Lore De Schepper is the only Tour debutant in the seven-rider selection.
The Belgian has already raced both La Vuelta Femenina and the Giro d’Italia Women this season, giving her valuable multi-day experience before stepping up to the biggest event on the women’s calendar.
D’hoore described the Tour as another important stage in her development.
“We are also delighted to give Lore De Schepper another opportunity to continue her development at the highest level,” she said. “After gaining valuable experience in both the Giro d’Italia Women and La Vuelta Femenina, she now gets the chance to race the biggest event in women’s cycling.”
Her role should be centred on supporting the team’s more established leaders and continuing to learn, but reaching a third Grand Tour of the season underlines how quickly AG Insurance-Soudal are bringing her through.
-
Photo Credit: Aritz Arambarri
AG Insurance-Soudal want to race aggressively around the GC goal
The central objective remains a strong general classification with Le Court-Pienaar, but the composition of the squad gives the team more freedom than simply protecting one rider for nine days.
Ghekiere and Žigart provide the mountain support, Benito adds experience, Bossuyt brings a sprint option and Borghesi can be used on the harder transitional stages. That balance is important across a Tour containing sprint opportunities, three hilly stages, the Dijon time trial and the decisive mountain stages towards the end of the race.
“Our objective is clear: to support Kim and aim for a strong general classification,” D’hoore said. “We want to race aggressively from day one, seize every opportunity that comes our way and make the most of our collective strength.”
That approach also reflects Le Court-Pienaar’s own strengths. She is not simply a rider who needs to protect GC position and wait for the mountains. Her Classics ability and finishing speed mean she can influence stages herself, something already reflected in our guide to the best breakaway and stage-hunting riders at the 2026 Tour.
AG Insurance-Soudal Tour de France Femmes 2026 squad
- Kim Le Court-Pienaar
- Justine Ghekiere
- Shari Bossuyt
- Mireia Benito
- Letizia Borghesi
- Urška Žigart
- Lore De Schepper
AG Insurance-Soudal head to Lausanne with one clear priority but several ways to shape the race around it. Le Court-Pienaar carries the GC ambition, Ghekiere and Žigart give her support for the decisive climbs and Bossuyt, Borghesi and the wider squad ensure the team can still chase opportunities away from the yellow jersey battle.
