SD Worx-Protime found itself in unfamiliar territory in 2025 when the team was well off the podium on the all-important queen stages at two out of the three Grand Tours, but the once dominant Dutch team is continuing to take steps to rebuild the depth in its climbing group with the signing of Valentina Cavallar through to 2028.
Cavallar made the decision to switch from rowing to cycling in the year after the Tokyo Olympic Games, ultimately shifting to Italy so she could make her mark in amateur racing before finding a mid-season place with Arkéa-B&B Hotels in 2024. From there she was quick to show signs of climbing promise, coming second in the mountains classification at Itzulia Women, second overall at Tour Féminin International des Pyrénées and seventh on Alpe d’Huez at the Tour de France Femmes.
“Valentina Cavallar is a great addition to our climbing squad,” said SD Worx-Protime sports manager Danny Stam. “We hope Valentina can support our team in the mountains, because that’s where we were missing some power.
“She made the switch from rowing to cycling and still has a lot to learn. But she has already shown her climbing talent, for example in the Tour de France. We will give her the time and space to develop herself.”
The departure of Demi Vollering, Marlen Reusser and Niamh Fisher-Black certainly reduced the depth of the teams climbing squad, though the return of Anna van der Breggen and introduction of mountain biker Steffi Häberlin to the squad helped offset the impact a little. It wasn’t, however, an instant fix particularly given Lotte Kopecky didn’t have the year she had hoped for in the mountains.
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at CyclingNews RSS Feed…