“It was an amazing season,” Tijssen begins. “We started the year without knowing exactly what to expect, and to finish the season by winning the Tour de France Femmes is, of course, incredible. It’s also great to see how our riders have progressed over the past year.”

“Maybe we didn’t achieve all of our goals, but that’s normal,” the Dutchman admits honestly. “We missed a few targets, but when you look at how the team has developed, that’s hugely positive. And our major wins were achieved as a team.”

Tijssen takes great pride in that development. “Last season, we were truly ready for the races that came. As coaches, we worked incredibly hard, but the riders themselves made enormous progress through their dedication, which made us a very strong team.”

The focus is already on the upcoming season, in which the team is again targeting major objectives. “Alongside the development of our riders and the team, which remains an important goal, we also want to fight for victories in races. Our main aim is to win the spring classics, and in addition, we aim to defend our title at the Tour de France Femmes.”

Preparation for the Tour de France Femmes has already begun, Tijssen notes. “Last year we laid the blueprint, and from there we only want to improve. The route is beautiful, with several challenging stages. As a team, we’ll do everything we can to get our riders to the start at an even higher level. Being the defending champion changes how others see us, but we believe in the process we’ve started.”

That process is entirely focused on winning La Grande Boucle, Tijssen emphasizes. “Of course, that’s the biggest goal of the season. But in the spring, we also hope to score several big wins. We are mainly focusing on Strade Bianche, Paris-Roubaix, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, where we hope to showcase our team strength.”

In pursuit of these goals, the Dutch squad has gained support from three new riders. “With Daniek Hengeveld, Katharina Sadnik, and Sarah Van Dam, we have three new riders who all live for the sport. Each brings their own qualities, which will only help our team grow further,” Tijssen says enthusiastically.

But beyond chasing sporting success, the Dutch team manager has another ambition: “Besides hoping that every rider can make progress, we also want to raise awareness for women’s cycling. By daring to win, but also daring to lose, we hope more people will cheer with us, as we saw during the Tour de France Femmes,” Tijssen concludes.