French group FDJ United-SUEZ could be the world’s highest-ranked group and have three WorldTour wins to their title already in 2026, however they arrived on the UAE Tour Girls with out a front-line sprinter.
Relatively than sit again and look ahead to Sunday’s closing stage 4 to the highest of the Jebel Hafeet climb, the place Juliette Berthet (née Labous) is predicted to go effectively, they took stage 1 by the scruff of the neck.
Early on, they put in an enormous collective dig, hoping to separate the race in what little wind was blowing throughout the flat desert roads. Then they tried to instigate a transfer on the again of a cut up following the day’s second intermediate dash, although as soon as once more they have been unsuccessful.
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The aggressor in chief was one of many group’s new recruits, German champion Franziska Koch, who joined from Picnic-PostNL over the winter.
Solely 25, Koch spent seven years on the Dutch registered squad, saying herself to the world with a stage win on the Boels Women Tour in her first season. Since then, she might need picked up solely two additional wins, each nationwide titles, however she has develop into more and more influential in a wide range of races.
An actual workhorse, final yr she was usually seen off the entrance, tackling a wide range of programs or controlling breakaways.
Now, although, she’s sporting FDJ’s jersey, although her nationwide champion’s colors are distinctive sufficient when she’s doing her factor for her new teammates.
“At this time was the primary race with the group, so I used to be tremendous excited,” Koch advised Cyclingnews on the end of Thursday’s opening stage received by Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime).
“It is an ideal environment, so it was a particular one, it was begin into the season, though we did not have the outcome,” she mentioned.
“We do not have the quickest sprinter within the group, so that you must use each alternative to attempt one thing apart from a dash. So the aim wasn’t to go for the dash, however I used to be simply in place for my teammate, after which I noticed there was a little bit hole. So why not simply use it?” she mentioned of her transfer after the intermediate dash.
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Whereas the group haven’t got a quick girl to match the likes of Wiebes, Vittoria Guazzini was the designated sprinter and the squad’s prime finisher, taking 18th place with Koch just a few locations additional down.
“I used to be purported to do a lead out, however Vittoria sadly obtained squeezed off my wheel ultimately,” Koch added.
The German had develop into a stalwart of the Picnic-PostNL group, and her transfer was considerably of a shock, even when it was a canny one for FDJ.
“I used to be completely satisfied in Picnic, however on the finish it was additionally seven years and I feel a recent setting is at all times good. I am tremendous proud of FDJ, it brings me much more motivation. And I feel the group is simply top-of-the-line, I imply, on paper, actually primary! So yeah, I am actually excited to signify FDJ.
“I hope that I can information the group effectively, however clearly, I am additionally new, so becoming into the group. The group likes to race aggressive and I feel that is precisely my model of racing as effectively, and creating one thing with the group is at all times nice or in different races supporting Demi [Vollering] in fact.
“The Classics are my first large aim, it is my form of racing.”
