In a surprise move, FDJ United-SUEZ announced the addition of multi-discipline US rider Kate Courtney to their Women's WorldTour squad. The reigning MTB World Champion in cross-country marathon will join the squad this week, with the 30-month contract effective immediately and running through the end of 2028.
"So freaking excited about this," Courtney confirmed to Cyclingnews.
Courtney's last victory came on a surprising start in the road race at USA Cycling Pro Road Nationals, where she outsprinted former USPro road champion Lauren Stephens (Aegis x Leaders of Enchantment) for her own first USPro road title.
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The California native will make her WorldTour road debut as the USPro champion at La Périgord Ladies on July 18. She has committed to line up with her new WoldTour road team at Tour of Britain Women, August 19-23, which begins just four days following Leadville Trail 100 MTB, a race she won last year, and it was not confirmed if she would defend her off-road title in Colorado.
"It is hard to put into words what this opportunity means to me. I never expected to be able to make the jump to the WorldTour level so quickly and I am so motivated to rise to this huge challenge and really find out what I am capable of as an athlete and person in this final chapter of my career," Courtney said in a press release on Monday.
A stranger to road racing
Seven years before she won the XCM world championship last summer, Courtney earned her first rainbow jersey at MTB Worlds in the cross-country discipline. She followed that in 2019 by winning the overall UCI Cross-country World Cup title.
The 30-year-old caught added attention in May with a surprise start at Tour de Feminin in the Czech Republic for Team USA, her first road race since the age of 16, and won stage 4. Riding a second season with She Sends Racing as an off-road privateer, Courtney finished fifth at the Life Time Sea Otter Classic gravel and then third at Levi's GrandFondo The Growler in April.
"Kate is a magnificent athlete whose profile shows great potential on short to mid-range climbs and demanding efforts. We are excited to support her as she discovers European road racing," said Stephen Delcourt, general manager of FDJ United-SUEZ.
"FDJ UNITED-SUEZ has always embraced athletes who have thrived in disciplines beyond road cycling. This diversity of backgrounds and cultures will continue to elevate our team as we pursue the highest levels of performance in women's sport."
The day she won her first US road championship, Courtney noted on social media that it marked one year that she rode a bike outdoors for the first time since fracturing the scaphoid bone in her wrist at a short track MTB World Cup round in Nové Město. Shortly thereafter, she raced and won in her debut at Leadville Trail 100 MTB.
The return to form last summer led to freedom to ride for her new non-profit, She Sends Racing, which led her to Switzerland for MTB Worlds, then South Africa for Cape Epic and eventually USPro Road Nationals.
"It’s crazy to think how much has changed in a year," she noted on Instagram recently. "That injury somehow gave me the mental freedom to reimagine what racing could look like. In the process I’ve found that extra little bit that was missing for so long."
The Red Bull connection and a new direction
Courtney was eager to jump into the European road scene on the weekend with her new team, one common thread being a connection with Red Bull.
"I am so grateful to Stephen and the entire team for seeing the potential and giving me this chance to chase a huge dream.
"It is not hard to see from the outside that FDJ UNITED-SUEZ is building something really special. The way the team races - aggressively, fearlessly and with complete belief in one another - has been inspiring to me as a fan. And now it is even more inspiring to me as a rider.
"It feels like the team environment I have been searching for my entire career - and I could not be more excited to start learning and chasing one of the biggest and most challenging goals I have ever spoken out loud.”
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