SD Worx have announced the signing of Swiss rider Marlen Reusser on a two-year deal from Alé BTC Ljubljana.
The 29-year-old, who this year won the Swiss road race and time trial titles and took silver in the time trial at the Tokyo Olympics, is the latest signing for the powerhouse Dutch squad after Lotte Kopecky's move from Liv Racing was announced in June.
Team manager Danny Stam said that Reusser, who finished fourth at the recent Ladies Tour of Norway, still has big potential to grow as a road racer with SD Worx, having only started racing at the top level four years ago.
"Reusser is a rider with enormous potential and will make the team a lot stronger in general," he said in a team press release. "Marlen can still take steps in terms of race insight. Tactically, she can still learn a lot from us.
"Racing will become very different for her when she is still surrounded by a few teammates in the finals. I think she can be of great value to the team in the Classics.
"She has the advantage with her good time trial that she is also able to set up a solo in a final. Certainly with a few team members behind her, she will soon take advantage of their powerful support."
Reusser is most known as a time trialist, having taken bronze at the European Championships last year and silver at the Imola Worlds while also winning her national TT title four times since 2017. However, she has also shown promise in the Spring Classics, having taken seventh at Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2020 and ninth at this year's Tour of Flanders.
"I agree with Danny that I can still learn a lot and make a lot of progress in the road competitions," Reusser said. "Over the last two years, I have shown that I have the ability to fight against other top cyclists. The time trial is the easiest way to demonstrate your talent because you have to perform on it in a straight-forward way.
"A road competition is more complex, involving positioning, tactics and teamwork. Team SD Worx has proven itself to be the best team in recent years. The team is extremely professional and always has a good race plan. They are also strong in general. I didn't hesitate for long when the team came up with an offer."
For SD Worx, the signing of Reusser is another step in building the squad without Anna van der Breggen or Chantal van den Broek-Blaak, both of whom will retire from racing to take up staff positions next year.
This season, the team signed top riders Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio and Demi Vollering as well as promising youngsters such as 21-year-old Niamh Fisher-Black, 20-year-old Kata Blanka Vas, and 19-year-old Anna Shackley.
Reusser said that she's looking forward to working with the team and with Van der Breggen and Van den Broek-Blaak on the staff.
"The conversation with Anna felt very good. It gives me confidence that she will be working for Team SD Worx as one of the team leaders from next year, just like Chantal van den Broek-Blaak.
"They have seen from the peloton what I can do and what my limitations are. For example, when I look back at how easily I resigned myself to missing the decisive breakaway of eight riders in the last Tour of Flanders because I was not in a good position while I still had good legs. I really realise that with more race insight and a good team around me, I can also compete with the best in the Classics."