'We've been playing catch up' – SD Worx-Protime facing tough competition in Amstel Gold Race and Ardennes after Brabantse Pijl defeat

After four Classics without a win, SD Worx-Protime will be hoping for better fortunes as they head into their home event at Amstel Gold Race on Sunday, and the following Ardennes.

It wasn't that long ago that SD Worx were considered the singular dominant force in the Spring Classics, but they've been gradually removed from that top spot in recent seasons, and in 2026, it's FDJ United-Suez who have made themselves the most successful team of the spring.

The rivalry and dynamic between the two teams seemed to play out in a microcosm during Friday's Brabantse Pijl, where FDJ's Célia Gery beat SD Worx's Mischa Bredewold in a sprint for the line.

SD Worx had had the numbers in the finale, with Anna van der Breggen in a late move with Loes Adegeest (Lidl-Trek) and Lotte Kopecky then leading out for Bredewold, but it wasn't enough to better the French rising star.

At the finish, Lotte Kopecky offered a sarcastic "fantastic" as her summary of the team's day, with the frustration at a series of losses for SD Worx since Lorena Wiebes won In Flanders Fields starting to become clear.

A disappointed Bredewold told Wielerflits post-race that she was glad to have the chance to sprint and was disheartened to come so close and not win, but the reigning Amstel Gold Race winner took positives from Friday's team performance.

"We have been playing catch up in the last few races, so we had an intense pre-race briefing this morning," she said. "I think that woke us up, because as a team we rode perfectly and could rely on each other."

Despite the loss, Bredewold counted this as an improvement from the "mistakes" the team may have made in the last few Classics.

"We had a new group today, because the [cobbled] Classics group is winding down, and the Ardennes group is coming in. It was our goal today to be on our toes and not make any more mistakes, in the last races we were maybe not always where we needed to be so that was the main goal today, and that went really well," she said.

"I'm proud of how we did that and it gives a lot of confidence for Sunday. We have good energy in the group right now."

That of course doesn't negate the fact that they will be up against strong opposition on Sunday and beyond, particularly with Demi Vollering returning to the fold with FDJ, but Bredewold played down the notion of a two-team battle in the Ardennes.

"It's a comparison that's often made [with FDJ], with the riders who have gone between the two teams, but I also think that block [of top teams] includes UAE and Visma-Lease a Bike, they're not to be written off either," she said.

"The peloton is much stronger in terms of depth, so I don't think it's going to be just FDJ versus SD Worx-Protime on Sunday. I don't think we need to look at them one-to-one like that."

After missing out on the podium at both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, SD Worx will be hoping for at least a top three at Amstel Gold on Sunday, and will count on 2025 winner Bredewold as one of their cards to play.

"I'm really looking forward to Sunday. I'm excited to relive it all again. I hope I get to race with number one, I think so," she said. "But in any case, standing there as the defending champion is really cool, I'm really looking forward to it."

Get unlimited access to our unrivalled 2026 Spring Classics coverage with a Cyclingnews subscription. We'll bring you breaking news, reports, and analysis from some of the biggest races on the calendar, including Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Find out more.