For several weeks after the transfer market officially opened, SD Worx-Protime didn’t make a noise. No signings, no departures, no drama. For a minute, I wondered if they were even going to sign anyone new, such is their commitment to not just signing riders for the sake of it.
But, eventually, at the end of November, SD Worx did get going with the signings, and what they may be lacking in quantity or speed, the signings they made us wait for certainly bring the quality. They have signed just two new riders for 2026 – fewer than most other WorldTour teams – but they’re making it count.
Maintaining the core
More so than recruiting new stars, SD Worx’s main focus in 2025 and going into 2026 (and even before that) has been about maintaining their core of riders. They’ve extended deals with Lotte Kopecky, Lorena Wiebes and Mischa Bredewold, with Marie Schreiber and Femke Gerritse locked in until 2028, too.
When you have a core group as strong as that, you don’t need to go on a wild recruiting spree, and SD Worx clearly didn’t. In many ways, that’s never been their style, always taking time over signings and maintaining very high standards – you very rarely see them taking a punt on an unproven rider.
On the theme of rider retention, the team are only losing three riders at the end of this season, and none of them currently have other homes. Chantal van den Broek-Blaak already retired mid-year, and December will see contracts expire for Geerike Scheurs, Laura Stigger and Skylar Schneider. Scheurs and Stigger are…
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