SD Worx-Protime found itself in unfamiliar territory during 2025 when the team was well off the podium on the all-important queen stages at two out of the three Grand Tours. Still, the once-dominant Dutch team is continuing to take steps to rebuild the depth in its climbing group with the signing of Valentina Cavallar through to 2028.
Cavallar decided to switch from rowing to cycling in the year after the Tokyo Olympic Games, ultimately moving to Italy so she could make her mark in amateur racing before finding a mid-season place with Arkéa-B&B Hotels in 2024. From there, she was quick to show signs of climbing promise, coming second in the mountains classification at Itzulia Women, second overall at Tour Féminin International des Pyrénées and seventh on Alpe d'Huez at the Tour de France Femmes.
There were some battles with illness and other obstacles to contend with in the 2025 season, but even then, Cavallar delivered a top ten finish on the summit of the Lagunas de Neila at the Vuelta España Femenina, captured eighth overall at Vuelta a Burgos, before taking her first professional win at Alpes Gresivaudan Classic.
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"Valentina Cavallar is a great addition to our climbing squad," said SD Worx-Protime sports manager Danny Stam. "We hope Valentina can support our team in the mountains, because that’s where we were missing some power.
"She made the switch from rowing to cycling and still has a lot to learn. But she has already shown her climbing talent, for example, in the Tour de France. We will give her the time and space to develop herself."
The departure of Demi Vollering, Marlen Reusser and Niamh Fisher-Black certainly reduced the depth of the team's climbing squad, though the return of Anna van der Breggen and the introduction of mountain biker Steffi Häberlin to the squad helped offset the impact a little. It wasn't, however, an instant fix, particularly given Lotte Kopecky didn't have the year she had hoped for in the mountains.
Cavallar raced in the lightweight double sculls at the Olympic Games, and it was training with the rowing team after that which sparked her cycling ambitions.
"I got hooked on cycling when I went to watch the Tour de France Femmes in 2022," said the 24-year-old Austrian. "We were on training camp with the national rowing team and decided to add a bike training to go watch the stage on the Grand Ballon.
"Once the peloton had passed the Petit Ballon, the roads reopened. So I followed the course on my bike. Suddenly, I approached the tail of the peloton and ended up riding behind the last motorbike all the way to the finish. That was the moment the seed was planted to start racing."
After the opportunity that Arkéa-B&B Hotels offered came to an abrupt end with the closure of the French squad, opportunity knocked with the chance to ride alongside the likes of Van der Breggen, Kopecky and Lorena Wiebes.
“It was emotional when I heard that Team SD Worx-Protime was interested. From the very first Tour, this has been my dream team. That dream is now becoming reality," said Cavallar.
SD Worx-Protime, too, is getting a rider that could help them work back to the top step of one of the Grand Tour podiums in the seasons ahead.
"I’m a climber and I love stage races," said Cavallar. "The harder and longer, the better for me. I have a strong winning mentality and want to work hard to improve. To grow into a more complete rider at Team SD Worx-Protime and contribute to the team’s successes."
First, however, she has some recovery to tackle with Cavallar hit by a car earlier this month just as she started training for the new season, leaving her with a broken collarbone.
