In one of the big moves of this season's transfer market, Shirin van Anrooij will move from Lidl-Trek to Canyon-SRAM, and will pull on her new colours before the year is done.
The 24-year-old Dutchwoman has spent the first six seasons of her career with Lidl-Trek, establishing herself as one of the world's top Classics riders with victory in the 2023 Trofeo Alfredo Binda and podiums in the likes of the Tour of Flanders and Amstel Gold Race.
Her signing is billed as a 'bold switch' by her new team, Canyon-SRAM, who gain a quality leadership figure amid strong reports that Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney will leave the team.
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Van Anrooij, rather unusually, will officially become a Canyon-SRAM rider on November 1 of this year, and not on January 1, 2027.
That's because she's a regular on the cyclo-cross circuit, which straddles the new year, running from November through to February. A special agreement will have had to be made for this to happen, with Lidl-Trek releasing Van Anrooij from the final two months of her contract, but with the road season over by that point, the situation would seem to suit both parties.
"Immediately from my first chats with the team, I had a good, welcoming feeling, and personally, it means a lot to feel the confidence that they have in me as a rider," said Van Anrooij.
"It will be a big change after being on my current team for almost 7 years, but I’m looking forward to developing further in a new environment and seeing what we can achieve together."
Room for improvement
Van Anrooij turned professional on the road as a 20-year-old in 2021 following a stagiaire stint with the team then known as Trek-Segafredo. She was a Dutch and European champion in the time trial discipline at junior and U23 level.
After an encouraging first couple of seasons, Van Anrooij's breakthrough season as a professional came in 2023 when she won Trofeo Binda, podiumed Amstel, and collected a string of Classics top-10s before winning the inaugural Tour de l'Avenir youth race. She has solidified her status as a top Spring rider while also developing her climbing ability to the extent that she has knocked on the door of the top 10 of the Giro d'Italia Women and Tour de France Femmes while supporting others.
Binda, however, remains her only pro road victory, which she'll surely be out to rectify in 2027 and beyond.
"Shirin is exceptionally versatile, with a strong aerobic engine and the ability to perform across a wide range of terrain and race scenarios," said Canyon-SRAM's Director of Performance Dan Fleeman.
"She can climb, handle demanding one-day races and stay competitive when races become long and physically demanding. Her resilience and race intelligence make her a particularly complete rider."
Despite heading into her seventh full season as a pro, Van Anrooij is only 24 years old and Canyon-SRAM repeatedly underlined her margin for room for improvement.
"She brings immediate quality, but also considerable long-term potential, especially given her strong competitive mentality and desire to keep improving," said Fleeman.
"With more experience, Shirin can continue to refine her positioning, decision-making and tactical confidence, while bringing all of her strengths together to more consistently convert the opportunities she creates into results."
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