Team SD Worx-Protime have secured one of the most exciting Dutch GC prospects of the current generation, signing 21-year-old Dutch talent Nienke Vinke on a three-year contract beginning 1st January 2026. The move marks a significant moment in Vinke’s rapid rise. In just three seasons as a professional, she has developed from a promising junior into a rider capable of shaping the biggest stage races on the calendar.
Sports director Danny Stam confirmed that the team view her as a future Grand Tour contender, while also recognising her growing strength in the Ardennes classics. After a 2025 season built on consistency and resilience, Vinke arrives as a rider already proven at the highest level.
Photo Credit: Cor VosFrom speed skating to cycling star
Vinke’s athletic foundation began far from the peloton. She took up speed skating at the age of twelve, using cycling as a way to stay fit during the warmer months. When the Dutch youth championships were held in her hometown of Amersfoort, she decided to enter and joined the local club WV Eemland. She followed in the footsteps of fellow Amersfoort talents Mischa Bredewold and Puck Pieterse, both of whom also emerged from the same system.
Her junior career escalated quickly. In 2022, she claimed both the Dutch road and time trial titles, won the overall at Bizkaikoloreak in Spain, and finished on the podium at the World Championships in Wollongong. These performances marked her out as one of the strongest juniors of her class.
Rapid rise at WorldTour level
Vinke stepped into the WorldTour with Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL in 2023. She was given room to learn by supporting leaders like Pfeiffer Georgi and Juliette Labous, yet still produced standout results. She finished seventh at the inaugural Tour de l’Avenir Femmes and second in the young rider classification. That autumn, she rounded out the year with ninth at Tre Valli Varesine.
Her breakthrough at senior level came early in 2024. She finished second overall at the Women’s Tour Down Under, securing the young rider jersey and showing composure in the decisive climbs. During the spring, she added thirteenth at the Tour de Normandie and a solid ride at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, then made her Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta España. A difficult Giro d’Italia followed, yet she still placed eighth in the youth classification. Later in the season, she impressed again with tenth at the Tour de Romandie and a top-twenty ride at the European Championships.
Photo Credit: Cor VosWhite jersey at the Tour and a top ten in Spain
Her 2025 season confirmed the promise. After a steady start at the UAE Tour she rode a convincing classics campaign that included eighth on the Mur de Huy at La Flèche Wallonne. May brought her first top ten in a Grand Tour with ninth overall at the Vuelta España. That result cemented her status as a favourite for the young rider classification at the Tour de France Femmes.
Across a hard-fought week in Brittany and the Massif Central, she battled Julie Bego for the white jersey before settling the contest in the final days. She finished nineteenth overall in Paris and claimed the jersey with a commanding margin. It became the defining result of her young career.
Why SD Worx-Protime wanted her
Team SD Worx-Protime had monitored her progress long before this transfer window. Stam admitted he had tried to sign her earlier, knowing her skill set suited the squad’s long-term strategy. Her climbing ability, punch on steep gradients and calm racing style give her a profile similar to riders the team have successfully developed in recent years.
Vinke joins a roster that includes Lotte Kopecky, Anna van der Breggen, Lorena Wiebes and Mischa Bredewold. For a young GC prospect, it is one of the most fertile environments in the sport. She sees the opportunity to learn from some of the most successful riders of the modern era, many of whom also rose through SD Worx’s structured development pathway.
“It’s a team where winning is very important. With that mindset, the team starts practically every race,” she said. Her aim for 2026 is to learn, contribute and continue growing while supporting the team’s leaders.
Long-term stability for a long-term project
Vinke will continue her part-time studies in human movement sciences as she makes the transition to SD Worx-Protime. The contract through 2028 gives her the security to build steadily without immediate pressure to lead. It also positions her as one of the key long-term GC projects within the women’s WorldTour.
Her results over the past three seasons show a rider who improves year on year and thrives over longer stage races. With SD Worx-Protime now guiding her development, the next phase of her career begins with clarity, structure and ambition.
