FDJ-Suez team manager Stephen Delcourt has confirmed that the French squad will enter the 2026 season with a smaller roster and a singular focus – winning the Tour de France Femmes with Demi Vollering.
Speaking at the Tour de France presentation in Paris, Delcourt reflected on a season that saw FDJ-Suez finish 2025 as the world’s top-ranked women’s team, yet fall just short of their ultimate goal.
He told CyclismActu that despite the team’s success, the Tour remains the one missing piece. “When we look back at 2025, the assessment is very good. We were the best team in the world, but one thing is clearly missing – the overall victory at the Tour de France Femmes. We shouldn’t be ashamed though. We finished second, and we didn’t lose because of mistakes or problems in preparation. Pauline [Ferrand-Prévot] was simply unbeatable. For 2026, it’s up to us to raise our level if we want to win the Tour. I can already see some tricky sections in the route, but we’ll prepare properly.”
Smaller squad, same ambition
FDJ-Suez will pursue that goal with a leaner team, reducing its roster from eighteen to sixteen riders. Six riders depart over the winter, while four new additions arrive. The downsizing reflects both a strategic and financial decision as Delcourt acknowledged the difficult sponsorship landscape in professional cycling.
“The economic situation is very bad,” Delcourt explained. “I’ve never had such easy meetings with potential sponsors, but it’s never been so hard to actually sign them. There’s a global financial crisis that means sponsorship simply isn’t a priority for many companies, and we have to fight on that front.”
Rather than stretching resources too thin, FDJ-Suez have chosen to reduce their calendar slightly. “We’ll have sixteen riders, and if that means racing five to ten per cent fewer events, that’s fine. Elite sport is demanding, and this way we can stay fresher for our biggest targets,” he said.
Key signings and notable departures
The French squad welcomes several key reinforcements for 2026. Franziska Koch joins from Team Picnic PostNL, Eva van Agt arrives from Team Visma | Lease a Bike, Lauren Dickson steps up from Handsling Alba Development Road Team, and Sofia Bertizzolo makes the move from UAE Team ADQ.
At the same time, FDJ-Suez say farewell to Loes Adegeest, who joins Lidl-Trek, and Alessia Vigilia, who transfers to Uno-X Mobility. Dutch riders Nina Buijsman and Lauren Molengraaf, along with Coralie Demay and Eugénie Duval, reach the end of their contracts, with future destinations yet to be confirmed.
Core of the world’s top team remains intact
Despite the turnover, the backbone of FDJ-Suez stays in place. Vollering is joined by returning teammates Juliette Labous, Elise Chabbey, Vittoria Guazzini, Evita Muzic, Amber Kraak, and Ally Wollaston, all of whom were central to the team’s success in 2025. The renewed contracts of Marie Le Net, Léa Curinier, Églantine Rayer Girault, Célia Géry, and Jade Wiel ensure a strong supporting cast for both the Classics and the stage races.
The refreshed line-up remains built around Vollering, who capped her debut season with FDJ-Suez by taking multiple stage race victories and finishing as the top-ranked rider in the Women’s WorldTour.
A clear mission for 2026
With the 2026 Tour de France Femmes firmly circled as the team’s primary objective, Delcourt’s squad will enter the new season with streamlined focus and proven strength. The manager remains realistic about the challenges ahead but confident in his group’s unity and purpose.
“The Tour is the big one we’re missing,” he said. “We have the best team in the world, but we know how high the level is now. We’ll prepare carefully, race a little less, and focus completely on being ready in July.”
FDJ-Suez’s smaller yet carefully constructed 2026 roster reflects the shifting economic landscape of women’s cycling, but also the team’s growing maturity – a world-leading outfit now defined by precision, depth, and one very clear goal: turning blue into yellow on the roads of France.
