Tour de France Femmes best young rider Nienke Vinke departs Picnic PostNL early to join SD Worx-Protime

Tour de France Femmes white jersey winner Nienke Vinke has signed for SD Worx-Protime on a three-year deal, despite having a year left on her contract with Picnic PostNL.

The Dutch climber was set to continue for Picnic PostNL until at least the end of 2026 after extending her contract in May 2024, but has broken that deal early to join SD Worx-Protime through to the end of 2028.

Under current UCI rules, riders can move mid-contract if all parties agree and get approval from the UCI. The Picnic women's team have already released one rider this season, with Charlotte Kool making a move to Fenix-Deceuninck in the summer.

However, in the case of Vinke, Picnic PostNL told Cyclingnews that an unspecified clause in her contract allowed for the move.

"Nienke had a clause in her contract allowing her to change teams after the 2025 season. We were happy with Nienke and we would have loved to see her longer in our team colours, however, we wish her all the best," the team said.

A talented climber, Nienke Vinke shot to recognition at the 2024 Tour Down Under, where she finished second overall and won the young rider classification, and has since impressed further, taking eighth at Flèche Wallonne and ninth overall at the Vuelta Femenina this year, before securing the white jersey at the Tour de France Femmes.

In a team press release confirming the news, SD Worx-Protime say that the team "had Vinke on its radar several years ago already, but back then [team sports manager Danny] Stam was unable to sign her", but they have made the move happen for 2026.

"We see Nienke as a rider who can develop into a GC contender in the major stage races in the coming years, but also as someone capable of achieving strong results in the Ardennes classics," Stam said.

My view

Matilda Price

Nienke Vinke is one of the most talented young climbers in the women's peloton, and a great signing for SD Worx – I believe them when they say they've been after her for a while – but I do wonder why Picnic PostNL would let her go. They seem quite happy to let riders exit – they have quite a specific way of working, so maybe it's a case of knowing that if a rider is no longer 100% committed, it's better to just let them go. Either way, a new environment could allow Vinke to shine even more.

For the 21-year-old Dutch rider, there is clearly a lot of excitement about moving up to one of the sport's best teams to ride alongside some top Dutch talents.

"There are big names and riders with a lot of experience in the team. I hope to learn a great deal from them," she said. "It’s also a team where winning is very important. With that mindset, the team starts practically every race. I hope to help the girls achieve new victories next season and to continue developing myself in that supporting role."

After the success she had in the Vuelta and Tour this year, GC improvement is a big goal for Vinke, and she is in line to be a possible future leader at SD Worx-Protime, who said goodbye to riders like Demi Vollering and Niamh Fisher-Black last year. She won the white jersey this year, but was close to doing even better, finishing 19th overall.

"In the Tour, I had hoped to finish one day a bit closer to the big GC riders," she explained. "Partly due to a puncture in the penultimate stage, in the valley leading up to the Col de la Madeleine, that didn’t quite work out. Still, winning the white jersey in the Tour is, of course, very special."

"It was clear early on that Nienke is a real talent," Stam added. "We’re happy to have been given a second chance to work with her. In her first year, she can continue to grow in the shadow of riders such as Lotte Kopecky, Anna van der Breggen, Lorena Wiebes and Mischa Bredewold. She has already shown her climbing potential. Both on hilly terrain and on the long climbs in stage races, she performs very well."

Vinke is only the second signing SD Worx-Protime have made for 2026 so far, after also securing the signature of fellow talented climber Valentina Cavallar. However, having secured most of their existing riders for next year, their roster is already at 17.

They are currently in the process of winter preparation, with their team launch planned for January 8.