2026 Edition
The history
The Belgian team, then in the second division, competed in its first Tour in 2022 under the name Plantur–Pura. It emerged from the Alpecin–Deceuninck men's team, where Mathieu Van der Poel rides, and like its sister team, it competes in several disciplines. Like its older sister, it shines first and foremost in cyclo-cross, with the world champions Sanne Cant (2017 through 2019) and Ceylin Alvarado (2020), as well as the prodigious Puck Pieterse, an MTB world champion with a hoard of medals in the discipline who is now making a name for herself on the road.
The Dutchwoman scored her first professional victory in the 2024 Tour, beating Demi Vollering in Liège, a year after Yara Kastelijn's success in Rodez. Fenix–Deceuninck is not just chasing stages in the Tour. It also battled for overall victory in 2024 with the unexpected Pauliena Rooijakkers, who came in third overall, a hair's breadth from the Yellow Jersey. After cracking the top 10 again last season (ninth), the Dutchwoman went looking for new challenges, but Pieterse, who bagged the best young rider's white jersey in 2024, is eager to trade it for a yellow one.
- Final victory0
- Stages victories2
- Yellow Jersey0
- Other race Won0
Top result: Third (Pauliena Rooijakkers in 2024)
Stage wins: 2
● 2023: Yara Kastelijn in Rodez
● 2024: Puck Pieterse in Morteau
Yellow Jerseys: 0
A FIGURE
2. Just two of the top 12 riders in the UCI Ranking at mid-season had yet to taste victory in 2026: Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney… and Puck Pieterse. The Dutchwoman had to settle for second, behind Demi Vollering, in La Flèche Wallonne Femmes and Liège–Bastogne–Liège Femmes last spring. As it happens, her compatriot was the runner-up in both of her career victories so far (stage 4 of the 2024 Tour and the 2025 edition of La Flèche Wallonne).