FDJ United-SUEZ begin the 2026 season from a position few teams ever reach, not as challengers but as the reference point. The transformation delivered in 2025 reshaped both perception and reality. What had been a strong but inconsistent WorldTour outfit became the top-ranked team in the sport, driven by decisive recruitment and a sharp increase in results across every terrain.
The arrival of Demi Vollering, Elise Chabbey and Ally Wollaston fundamentally altered the team’s ceiling. Together they delivered 81 per cent of FDJ United-SUEZ’s 22 road victories, almost doubling the squad’s win total from the previous year. More importantly, those wins came across a wide range of races, from early-season stage races to Grand Tours and high-profile one-day events. Supplanting SD Worx-Protime at the top of the Women’s WorldTour rankings after four consecutive seasons of Dutch dominance was a clear statement of intent rather than a statistical quirk.
From breakthrough to benchmark
The scale of FDJ United-SUEZ’s 2025 performance placed the team firmly at the centre of the competitive conversation. Vollering finished the season as the number one ranked rider in the UCI standings, while Chabbey and Juliette Berthet both ended the year inside the individual top seven. That concentration of elite-level performance gave the team a consistent presence at the sharp end of races, rather than reliance on isolated peaks.
Crucially, success was not confined to one rider or one type of race. Stage race control, Classics consistency and depth in support roles combined to create a squad that was difficult to isolate tactically. Heading into 2026, the challenge shifts from chasing momentum to managing expectation and sustaining advantage.
Targeted change rather than wholesale rebuild
The off-season brought change, but not disruption. Four riders departed the roster, including the retirement of long-serving Eugénie Duval, who concluded an 11-year career entirely within the FDJ programme. Her exit closed a significant chapter, but the response was deliberate rather than emotional.
Four new riders arrive, chosen to reinforce existing strengths rather than redefine the team’s identity. Three make the move from other Women’s WorldTour squads, while one steps up from the Continental level. The common thread across the group is versatility and an ability to contribute immediately.
Franziska Koch joins with six full WorldTour seasons already behind her. Much of her recent work came in service roles, particularly in sprint-focused programmes, but her underlying value lies in range. Koch brings experience on varied terrain, the ability to support leaders deep into stage races, and the freedom to convert opportunities when races fracture. Her German road title underlines an authority that FDJ United-SUEZ can deploy selectively.
Sofia Bertizzolo adds depth to the one-day and short stage race programme. Across the past decade she has developed into a reliable presence in demanding races, often working in support roles but still delivering results when given space. A fifth-place overall finish at the Tour de Pologne Women and second at the 1.Pro GP Oetingen in 2025 demonstrated her capacity to convert consistency into points and podium contention.
Eva van Agt arrives as a rider whose value is often felt rather than seen. Developed over three seasons at Team Visma | Lease a Bike, she has become effective on punchy terrain and transitional stages where positioning and timing matter more than pure power. Her top-five overall at the Tour of Norway Women and strong showing at Festival Elsy Jacobs à Garnich point to a rider well suited to the hybrid roles FDJ United-SUEZ favour.
Lauren Dickson represents the most open-ended addition. Coming from a non-traditional background and stepping up from the Continental level, her 2025 results marked a clear breakthrough. Victory at the Lincoln Grand Prix, third overall at the Tour of Norway Women, and top-10 finishes in both road race and time trial at the British Road Nationals suggest a rider capable of adapting quickly to WorldTour demands, even if her long-term role remains fluid.
Continuity as a competitive weapon
If recruitment added new layers, retention ensured structural stability. FDJ United-SUEZ extended contracts for several core riders, reinforcing the idea that 2025 was a foundation rather than an outlier.
Vittoria Guazzini’s extension through to 2028 secures a rider whose power output and speed translate across disciplines. Since joining the team, she has converted her pedigree into tangible results, including national time trial titles and victory at Le Samyn des Dames. Her presence strengthens the team’s Classics ambitions and provides depth in time trial-heavy stage races.
Amber Kraak’s deal through 2027 locks in a rider whose versatility underpins much of the squad’s tactical flexibility. After winning the overall at the UAE Tour Women in 2024, she followed with a general classification victory at the Tour de Suisse Women. Her ability to climb, survive aggressive racing, and finish from reduced groups gives FDJ United-SUEZ options in unpredictable scenarios.
The retention of Léa Curinier and Marie Le Net further underlines the team’s balance between immediate performance and domestic development. Both French riders continue to progress steadily, combining national success with competitive performances in Spring Classics. Their results suggest riders still ascending rather than plateauing, a valuable trait within a squad already operating at the top level.
Photo Credit: Cor VosMeasuring sustainability at the top
The 2025 season demonstrated that FDJ United-SUEZ’s success was not narrowly focused. Wollaston opened the year with a stage win at the Santos Tour Down Under and followed with victories at the women’s Surf Coast Classic and the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. Chabbey claimed early success at Volta a Catalunya before securing both a stage win and the overall at the Tour de Romandie Féminin. Berthet accumulated steady WorldTour points through strong general classification finishes and high placings in one-day races.
Vollering anchored the programme, winning the overall at Setmana Ciclista Valenciana early in the season before delivering the team’s biggest results. Victory at the Vuelta a España Femenina and second overall at the Tour de France Femmes confirmed her role as the sport’s most decisive stage race rider.
Perhaps most telling was the manner in which those results were achieved. Team cohesion, depth in support roles, and an ability to execute across different race scenarios reduced dependence on any single outcome. That balance will be tested again in 2026 as rivals recalibrate, but FDJ United-SUEZ enter the season with a roster built for defence as much as attack.
Maintaining the top ranking will require precision rather than reinvention. On paper, the squad has the depth, continuity and tactical range to do exactly that.
Photo Credit: A.S.O./Jennifer Lindini2026 FDJ United-SUEZ Roster
- Juliette Berthet
- Sofia Bertizzolo
- Elise Chabbey
- Léa Curinier
- Lauren Dickson
- Célia Gery
- Vittoria Guazzini
- Franziska Koch
- Amber Kraak
- Marie Le Net
- Evita Muzic
- Eglantine Rayer
- Eva van Agt
- Demi Vollering
- Jade Wiel
- Ally Wollaston
