'I really enjoy it when a race becomes difficult' – Femke Markus strengthens Visma-Lease a Bike Classics squad with switch from SD Worx-Protime

Visma-Lease a Bike have announced the signing of Dutch racer Femke Markus, who makes the switch after a four-year stint with SD Worx-Protime.

The 29-year-old is Visma's first confirmed incoming transfer for 2027, and she joins Marta Lach on SD Worx's outgoing list. She has joined Visma-Lease a Bike on a two-year deal.

This year, former speedskater Markus – sister of Lidl-Trek racer Riejanne – has enjoyed her strongest season since joining SD Worx from Parkhotel Valkenburg back in 2023.

Her spring Classics highlight was a top-10 finish at In Flanders Fields, while the following month she scored her first win in four years, leading an SD Worx 1-2-3 at the Antwerp Port Epic Ladies with a 26km solo move.

She narrowly missed out on becoming Dutch road champion in June, taking second in a two-up sprint with future teammate Lieke Nooijen, and she finished eighth at last month's Baloise Ladies Tour.

"What appeals to me about Team Visma-Lease a Bike is the knowledge and expertise that are present within the team," Markus said.

"I am looking forward to learning from that and continuing to develop myself. With support from The Athlete’s FoodCoach and an approach that is strongly based on science, I believe I can still take steps forward here."

If her palmarès didn't already show it, Markus said that the Classics are her forte. Her favourite race is Paris-Roubaix, where she has twice finished in the top 20 and took 21st this year.

Three years ago, she was in the winning breakaway at the Hell of the North, but slipped and fell on the Roubaix velodrome, eventually finishing 19th as Alison Jackson went on to score a famous victory.

"I really love Classics, echelons and tough races. I am a bit of a powerhouse rider. I really enjoy it when a race becomes difficult and the strongest rider wins. As a rider, I am above all a team player. I want to win together with the team and always get the best out of myself," Markus said.

"I would like to continue developing in the classics, but I also really enjoy being a reliable foundation within the team, someone the team can always count on."

Markus's biggest dream is to win Roubaix, she said, while Visma-Lease a Bike manager noted that she can be a key rider for the team during the spring Classics.

"Femke is a rider who has proven herself over several years in Classics and races where the difference is made through strength and race intelligence," he said.

"We have seen that she performs well when the race is made hard and the conditions are challenging. That is something we can use well in the spring."

Analysis

Dani Ostanek

Visma-Lease a Bike's addition of Markus is clearly a move designed to strengthen their spring Classics core, with team manager Tijssen describing her as "a rider who perfectly fits the profile we were looking for within our Classics squad."

Marianne Vos and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot are the team's spring leaders, as they showed with podium finishes at Paris-Roubaix Femmes and the Tour of Flanders this year, and should be part of the plan for a few more years even if, at 39 and 34, they're edging closer to retirement age.

But the team also has a strong group of younger Classics racers. 22-year-old sprinter Nienke Veenhoven was on the podium at the Ronde van Brugge and Scheldeprijs, 25-year-old Nooijen took third at Dwars door Vlaanderen and 11th at the Tour of Flanders, and 20-year-old Imogen Wolff has already been in and around the top 20 at Roubaix, Flanders, and In Flanders Fields.

All three, plus the strong Daniek Hengeveld, are locked down beyond this season, and so the addition of Markus – at 29 bridging the gap between the generations – adds another powerful Classics weapon to this core, arguably the most impressive cobbled line-up in the peloton.

At SD Worx, Markus has been part of winning efforts at Dwars, Roubaix, and Flanders, and in 2023 showed she could compete for victory on the biggest stage – late bad luck excepted. There's room for progression, too, Tijssen said.

"In recent years, she has shown that she performs well in selective races and challenging conditions. At the same time, we believe there is still room for further development within our environment, and we are looking forward to taking the next steps together with Femke."

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