The Jumbo-Visma women's team have announced their final rider for 2023, with former field hockey player Eva van Agt, signing on after racing with Le Col-Wahoo this season.
With the Women's WorldTour team complete with 16 riders, Jumbo-Visma is one avenue now closed to the riders who had agreed to race for the B&B Hotels/Paris Cycling project that collapsed after the expected sponsorships evaporated.
There are 12 riders left without contracts from the project including sprinter Chloe Hosking, double French national champion Audrey Cordon-Ragot and Olympic champion Anna Kiesenhofer.
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Van Agt, 25, is one of six newcomers to the Jumbo-Visma team along with cyclocross World Cup leader Fem van Empel, 18-year-old Dutch neo-pros Nienke Veenhoven and Rosita Reijnhout, 19-year-old Maud Oudeman from Canyon-SRAM and 20-year-old Kiwi Kim Cadzow from the Torelli team. Marianne Vos will continue to lead the Dutch team.
Although Van Agt has only one season under her belt, she completed the Tour de France Femmes, Thüringen Ladies Tour and Tour of Scandinavia and landed a top 10 in the Grand Prix de Wallonie.
"Because of her appealing racing style this year, Eva stood out in the peloton," Jumbo-Visma technical manager Rutger Tijssen said.
"She likes to attack and doesn't fear anyone. At Team Jumbo-Visma, she can take steps forward in a strong group. Her athletic tests were also positive, so we are thrilled with Eva's arrival."
Van Agt's athletic abilities were honed in field hockey at Northwestern University in Illinois, where she also earned a degree in Economics. She used cycling for aerobic conditioning and, after graduating, she spent six months riding around the US before returning home.
The coronavirus pandemic and the cancellation of field hockey matches led her to pick up cycling more seriously.
"I needed a new challenge," Van Agt explained. "I started a master's degree in Maastricht and joined a student cycling association. I secretly dreamed of becoming a professional cyclist, but I thought that was impossible. I discovered that I quickly grew stronger and that I had a great urge to race. My first was last February."
After quickly turning professional and racing the season with Le Col-Wahoo, Van Agt has a better idea of the types of races she hopes to excel in.
"I hope to play an important role in the hilly Classics", Van Agt says.
"A big priority on my wish list is to ride well in Liège-Bastogne-Liège or the Amstel Gold Race. I always train on those roads, so it would be amazing to show myself there. Furthermore, I have gained experience in a few stage races in the past year, which also suit me.
"I am very grateful for the opportunity I get on this team. I am convinced the coaching staff and the other riders will teach me much. I want to keep growing tactically in the coming period."
Jumbo-Visma Women for 2023
- Carlijn Achtereekte
- Teuntje Beekhuis
- Kim Cadzow
- Anna Henderson
- Amber Kraak
- Coryn Labecki
- Riejanne Markus
- Maud Oudeman
- Rosita Reijnhout
- Linda Riedman
- Noemi Ruegg
- Karlijn Swinkels
- Eva van Agt
- Fem van Empel
- Nienke Veenhoven
- Marianne Vos
