Team SD Worx prepares for the 2021 season in Costa Blanca
January 12, 2021
Team SD Worx has travelled to Denia, Spain, for their first ten-day training camp as part of their preparations for the 2021 season.
The first two days saw the women from the world's best cycling team in recent years perform aerodynamic tests at Valencia's velodrome. Two days for photo and video commitments were next on the agenda. Due to the inclement weather in Spain, however, the hard training sessions in the surrounding mountainous region in Costa Blanca were postponed until Sunday 10 January.
Team manager Danny Stam is happy with the make-up of the team for 2021: "This is an international team with lots of top riders, so we should be able to challenge for victory on all fronts. The back-up riders have come on leaps and bounds as well. This will hopefully mean that we have more riders in the finals, and then it's all about the tactics."
British rider Anna Shackley was unable to make the trip to Spain due to the coronavirus restrictions on travel from the UK. Nevertheless, the thirteen-strong team was almost complete. The team is living in a team bubble, in line with the COVID-19 guidelines set out by the International Cycling Union (UCI).
Olympic ambitions
Anna van der Breggen will wear the rainbow jersey as both the reigning road race and time trial world champion in the coming season. Her main ambition is to compete at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games, where she'll be defending her title on the road and hopes to be in the hunt for medals in the time trial again. "The Olympic Games are an important goal, but I'll also try to enjoy my final season as a cyclist. Next year, I'll take on my new role as team leader of this team", states Van der Breggen. "We have a new main sponsor and a strong team for the coming season, two things that are driving us to get great results across the board!"
As the new main sponsor, SD Worx is very proud to see the team bearing the company's colours. "We're firmly behind the cyclists as one team, and we're looking forward to the upcoming season. As a leading supplier of people solutions, it's no coincidence that SD Worx chose to sponsor the number one women's cycling team in recent years. Like in HR and payroll, cycling brings together talent, technology and teams to tackle the toughest challenges head on – both in life and at work. Together with the team, our customers and employees, we're looking forward to celebrating major success this season", says Kobe Verdonck, CEO of SD Worx.
The Team SD Worx website www.teamsdworx.com is now live, including a media centre where journalists will be able to find the latest photos and videos throughout the season. There are already some pictures from the first training camp. For specific questions about images of the team, please reach out to media@teamsdworx.com
Media presentation
Make a note of Tuesday 23 February 2021 in your diary now, as this is when the team will be unveiled. The team will scout the route of the Flanders Classics race Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in the morning and be officially introduced to the media in the afternoon. More information about the exact location (around Antwerp) and an official invitation will follow in due course. COVID-19 rules in force at that time will dictate how many journalists can be present on the day. This will be assessed in the run-up to the event, which will also be live-streamed. The team will be available for interviews after the presentation.