Former Zaaf rider Danielle De Francesco reclaims debut season with Arkea signing

Danielle de Francesco racing with Zaaf at the start of the season at the 2023 women's Tour Down Under
Danielle de Francesco racing with Zaaf at the start of the season at the 2023 women's Tour Down Under (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)

When Danielle De Francesco lined up with Zaaf Cycling Team at the Tour Down Under in January to make her international debut with the Spanish squad she quickly stood out as a savvy signing. The Australian demonstrated that she was clearly one of the new batch of neo-pros to watch closely, finishing fourth on two stages and also snaring sixth overall at her first Women's WorldTour race. 

It’s no surprise then that the 29-year-old, who can handle the climbs as well as deliver a fast finish, has now found a new home despite being put in the difficult situation of needing to find a new contract mid-season. 

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Simone Giuliani
Australia Editor

Simone is a degree-qualified journalist that has accumulated decades of wide-ranging experience while working across a variety of leading media organisations. She joined Cyclingnews as a Production Editor at the start of the 2021 season and has now moved into the role of Australia Editor. Previously she worked as a freelance writer, Australian Editor at Ella CyclingTips and as a correspondent for Reuters and Bloomberg. Cycling was initially purely a leisure pursuit for Simone, who started out as a business journalist, but in 2015 her career focus also shifted to the sport.