FDJ-SUEZ

In 2017, FDJ joined forces with one of the oldest teams in the women’s peloton - Vienne Futuroscope - to become FDJ-Nouvelle Aquitaine-Futuroscope, the biggest French women’s team. Since the merger, the FDJ team has both strengthened and diversified its squad, turning what was once an all-French team into a multinational team with riders from Italy, Australia, Denmark and Sweden. 

Signing in 2020, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig has become one of the team’s key riders, and the additions of Marta Cavalli and Grace Brown have created a team that has plenty of options for the biggest races on the calendar. In 2022, the team had success at the inaugural edition of their home Grand Tour, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, winning a stage with Uttrup Ludwig. The Dane also finished seventh overall, ahead of teammate Évita Muzic in eighth. 

In 2023, FDJ-SUEZ were able to rack up 17 wins on the way to finishing sixth in the UCI WorldTour rankings, but none of these victories came in a Grand Tour or a true Classic. Sure, Uttrup Ludwig was able to perform in the Tour of Scandinavia and the resurgent Marta Cavalli picked up the overall at Tour de l’Ardèche, but Uttrup Ludwig's Giro dell'Emilia success was probably their high point. 

Heading into 2024, FDJ-SUEZ lost Clara Copponi to Lidl-Trek but are otherwise sitting fairly comfortably, welcoming in the talents of Amber Kraak and talented cyclo-cross rider Lauren Molengraaf. As ever, most eyes of the wider public will be on Uttrup Ludwig - who won stage 2 of the Santos Tour Down Under to start the season well - but Cavalli will hope to build on a solid 2023 campaign and Grace Brown will once again lead the line in plenty of races. 

Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig

Grace Brown

Evita Muzic

Amber Kraak

Marta Cavalli

Vittoria Guazzini

Loes Adegeest

Jade Wiel

Alessia Vigilia

Coralie Demay

Léa Curinier

Marie Le Net

Gladys Verhulst-Wild

Nina Buijsman

Eugénie Duval

Lauren Molengraaf

Racing

Analysis

FDJ-SUEZ Team Talk: Plenty of success, but were there enough big race wins? 

FDJ-SUEZ keep chipping away as one of the more successful WorldTeams, but perhaps they are missing something special to propel them to the very top

, few teams can claim to have enjoyed an upward trajectory as successful as 

’s in recent years. Founded in 2006, for a long time the team was a largely French-focused affair, but has grown into a truly international team, featuring stars from Denmark to Australia and taking wins in Grand Tours and Classics.

, as well as the ever-present contingent of French riders, FDJ-SUEZ have become one of the strongest and most aggressive riders in the peloton, with riders suited to every terrain. They may not be considered one of the huge teams like 

, but anyone watching a race will see the blue and red jerseys getting in and amongst the action.

In 2023, the team had a lot to build on, coming off the back of a 2022 whose highlights included a stage win at the 

 and victory in two of the three Ardennes Classics. Did they step up a level this year, and where can they go 2024? Let’s take a closer look.

In 2023, FDJ-SUEZ took 17 wins as a team, plus two of their number claimed national titles, to earn a points haul that saw them finish sixth in the 

Based purely on numbers, it’s hard to fault FDJ-SUEZ’s 2023 season, with leaders Brown, Cavalli and Uttrup Ludwig all winning consistently, but on closer inspection, none of those wins came in the biggest races, namely Grand Tours and Classics. What they did have, though, was a lot of home success, whether that was in French races or in Australia and Scandinavia for Brown and Uttrup Ludwig.

The year started off with an almost perfect trip to Australia, with Brown winning the overall of the Tour Down Under before Loes Adegeest took victory at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race - it doesn’t get much better than winning the first two WorldTour races of the season.

Going into the Classics, FDJ-SUEZ’s momentum definitely slowed down, and some gaps were exposed in their roster - once a strong Classics-type rouleur, Brown has definitely evolved into a different type of rider, and wasn’t quite delivering in the cobbled races. The cobbled and Belgian races were forgettable, with the team finishing outside the top 10 on most occasions.

The spring highlights came outside of Belgium, pinpointed by Uttrup Ludwig’s third at Strade Bianche (after Kristen Faulkner’s disqualification), Vittoria Guazzini’s third in the Trofeo Alfredo Binda, and then sixth for Brown in the Amstel Gold Race. Eugénie Duval also took fourth in Paris-Roubaix Femmes, as part of the breakaway that survived all the way to the end.

Cavalli, who in 2022 won two of the three Ardennes races, struggled in the spring, returning from illness and still feeling the effects of her dramatic crash in the Tour de France Femmes last year.

Things picked up again away from the Classics, with FDJ-SUEZ winning a series of French races. Through May, whilst most teams were heavily focusing on the Spanish block of stage races, FDJ-SUEZ put more of their efforts into a French block, whilst Uttrup Ludwig took a rest from racing and only rode the Vuelta a Burgos, where she finished 11th.

Into June, Cavalli made her return with a victory atop the Hautacam in the Tour des Pyrénees in another strong race for the team, and again an example of them prioritising French events. Going into the Giro and the Tour, FDJ-SUEZ were thereabouts in the action and in the top 10 overall, but missed either winning or podiuming in either, which is perhaps a disappointment.

After a slightly quieter June and July, then, they came back strong for the end of the season, winning three stages of the Tour of Scandinavia, Cavalli taking the overall at the tough Tour de l’Ardèche, and Uttrup Ludwig taking a big win at the Giro dell’Emilia and second at Tre Valli Varesine to round things off well.

Whilst the wins came, and came consistently, off the back of strong team performances, FDJ’s decision to focus slightly more on the French races did cost them when they went against the biggest WorldTour squads, and next year we would like them to convert those wins into success at the very top level.

FDJ-SUEZ should be proud of their successes in 2023, and top-level wins aren’t the only ones that matter, but the lack of a Grand Tour stage victory or big Classics title leaves a clear gap in their palmarès.

FDJ-SUEZ's Top Five in 2024

On the surface, there aren’t too many big changes at FDJ-SUEZ, but they’ve quietly made some very canny moves for 2023. They’re saying goodbye to five riders, as Stine Borgli opts for retirement and four others move on to other teams. Clara Copponi is perhaps the biggest loss, taking her sprinting abilities to Lidl-Trek, whilst Victorie Guilman, Maëlle Grossetête and Emilia Fahlin will be in St Michel-Mavic-Auber93, Human Powered Health and Arkéa - B&B Hotels colours, respectively, in 2024.

The riders they’re bringing in more than make up for those losses, though, with six brand-new names joining the squad for 2024. Most of the arrivals are quite young, but they’re talented riders who will bring value beyond their age to the team. 

The headline move is perhaps Amber Kraak, from Jumbo-Visma. A former rower, Kraak is a very strong rider, and perhaps one of the most underrated riders on Jumbo-Visma. Her attacking style means she’s often in the break or active at the front, and this year she’s really been converting that into strong GC finishes. It remains to be seen how she’ll fit in with the leaders FDJ already have, but she is a very useful addition to the team.

Nina Buijsman and Coralie Demay also bring experience to the team, whilst Alessia Vigilia, Léa Curinier and Lauren Molengraaf mark an influx of new and young talent, with both climbing and Classics potential. At only 18, Molengraaf won’t be taking wins straight away, but Curinier and Vigilia could be in line for some break-out rides, especially when the stage races come around, which is perhaps where FDJ lacked depth this year.

With no dramatic line-up changes, FDJ-SUEZ will likely have a similar approach to their racing and goals in 2024 as in 2023. Uttrup Ludwig, Brown and Cavalli will remain the key leaders in stage races and hilly one-days, where their success is proven. Uttrup Ludwig and Brown are perhaps near a ceiling of what they can achieve - though they should continue to take those kinds of results for a few years - but the rider who could really step up further is Marta Cavalli.

Cavalli’s success in the Ardennes in 2022, beating Annemiek van Vleuten and Demi Vollering on two occasions, proved how strong she can be, and her climbing results this year - in smaller races, but on very hard climbs such as the Hautacam - have reconfirmed her climbing strength. She was very much still overcoming some mental and physical limitations in 2023, so with those hopefully in her rearview mirror in 2024, the Italian is more than capable of becoming a climber ready to rival the likes of Vollering in the biggest stage races and climbs. 

The additions of Alessia Vigilia and Léa Curinier will also add to their climbing contingent.

When it comes to their Classics weakness, FDJ have somewhat combatted that for 2024 with Amber Kraak. We would expect her to be up there in the cobbled Classics, and Vittoria Guazzini also looks to be on a path towards one-day strength. Rather than hoping Brown or Uttrup Ludwig can pull something out, FDJ-SUEZ should really start to tap into new talent with their approach to the Belgian races in 2024.

The loss of Clara Copponi may mean we see FDJ jerseys a little less in sprint finishes, but they still have Gladys Verhulst who is handy in a bunch kick, and Guazzini is learning her trade as a solid lead-out rider.

The only question mark is in which races these wins will come. FDJ-SUEZ definitely have the depth of riders to target races all across the season, but it depends on whether they make the top WorldTour races their real focus - races that are definitely harder to win but are much more prestigious additions to their palmarès.

Now building on a more experienced base, FDJ-SUEZ don’t have a great wealth of young riders in their roster, with all but one aged 22 or over. The one who isn’t is Lauren Molengraaf, the junior cyclo-cross world champion and mountain biker, but with plans to continue a multidisciplinary programme, a breakout road season is quite an ask for the first-year elite rider.

Instead, our pick for a name who is going to breakthrough onto the WorldTour scene is Alessia Vigilia. Particularly attentive women’s cycling fans will already be aware of Vigilia, who has ridden for Top Girls Fassa Bortolo for the last two seasons and had a lot of success in lower-level races, as well as being ever-active in bigger events. In the year that she came fourth in Durango-Durango Emakumeen Saria and won the overall at the Giro Toscana, the 24-year-old earned herself a step up to the WorldTour with FDJ-SUEZ.

Though she already has a handful of wins to her name from 2023, we’re predicting that, with the trajectory she is on, 2024 could see Vigilia turn those wins into success at WorldTour level. She can climb well, and also has an aggressive approach to racing, and though FDJ may expect her to put in some team support for bigger names, she should also be given her own opportunities and that should translate into a breakout ride.

Do you agree with our assessment of FDJ-SUEZ's 2023 campaign, and what do you think will be their main targets in 2024?

News

Race News

Tour Down Under: Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig takes over from faltering Grace Brown

Normally, having your home favourite and team leader fall out of contention on a decisive stage would be bad news for a team, but a quick change of focus and a more than capable plan B meant that 

Whilst stage 2, finishing on hilly laps in Stirling, will be a day to forget for 

, the pre-race favourite who was hoping to defend her title won last January, it was still a winning day for her French team as 

 took up the mantle and delivered a victory.

Tour Down Under: Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig wins stage 2 with stinging uphill sprint

After starting the day in full support of Brown, delivering her to third in the first bonus sprint, FDJ-SUEZ changed tack after the Australian - who has suffered on and off with glute pain and a spinal nerve problem in the off-season - felt she no longer had the legs to perform.

“Sometimes we have a plan, and it doesn’t go exactly how we want,” FDJ sports director Nicolas Maire told 

 at the finish. “We wanted to support Grace for sure, she was the winner here in 2019 on this stage. She was very motivated, but in fact at one lap to go she told us that she didn't feel so good, so we switched plans. We know that we have Cecilie who likes so much the finish like this, so plan B was also good.”

Though it is a blow for Brown, who was meant to be FDJ’s uncontested leader in her home race, the team can’t lament their position too much.

“On one hand, I’m also sad for Grace, because we were in Australia for her,” Maire said. “I know that it will be hard for her to not defend her title, but we have Cecilie in good position, so it’s nice.”

As well as winning the stage, Uttrup Ludwig moves into the race lead on the eve of the penultimate stage, and a GC-winning performance on Willunga Hill on Sunday doesn’t look farfetched.

“I don’t know what she’s able to do. At her top shape, she’s able to [go for the overall]. There is an advantage for all the Australian riders, but she looks good, so we will fight for this,” Maire said.

The swap in leadership at FDJ is an interesting one, but perhaps not surprising, given that in any other roster, Uttrup Ludwig would have been seen as a favourite on this punchy parcours, even if she has never started her season this early before.

Whilst Uttrup Ludwig made it clear pre-race that her primary role was to be in support of her teammate, Brown had already pegged the Dane as a burden-lightening plan B.

“Having Cille here is really cool, because usually I’m supporting her, but she’s here to help me out. But also if things go bad, she’s very capable of doing well herself,” the Australian had told 

Though Uttrup Ludwig may not have come into this race with ambitions of fighting for the overall, just one stage now sits between the clearly in-form Dane and a GC victory, so the atmosphere coming from the FDJ team was coy but confident ahead of stage 3.

“She has good legs at the moment, it’s enough to do a good sprint. For Willunga and to fight with Amanda, we will see,” Maire concluded, whilst Uttrup Ludwig gave a wry smile and a simple “I like it” when asked about how Willunga Hill suited her.

It may not be with the rider they expected, but FDJ-SUEZ still look like one of the favourite teams to win this Tour Down Under.

Marta Cavalli eyes up stage wins at the 2024 Tour de France Femmes

A disrupted early season left Marta Cavalli shy of form at this year's Tour de France Femmes 

 with a varied route that takes in an individual time trial, a Classics-esque stage and an iconic finish atop Alpe d'Huez. Responding to the reveal, 

 cast doubts over any GC ambitions at the race.

"For the moment, I don't know [about targeting GC] because we were waiting until today to discover all the details," Cavalli admitted to 

. "But I think I can target some stage wins because it suits me more in this way at the moment."

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2024 route revealed

A rider well at home on the tough climbs that conclude the third edition of the Tour de France Femmes, the Italian pointed towards the opening stages as a reason why the overall parcours may not be to her suiting as a GC rider. 

"It looks really hard, you can cut the race in two," she noted. "I think the first part could be really fast, hectic and also dangerous with the wind in a lot of stages. There is also a short TT so it is not really good for climbers."

However, the Italian need not be dissuaded quite so soon, after all, the only individual time trial in next year's route is just 6.3km long and is little more than a prologue. In fact, it is not much further than the opening prologue of the 

, a race in which Cavalli placed a career-best second place. 

The Italian has not hit the same heights in 2023, with much of her early season spent still recovering from her crash at the 2022 Tour de France Femmes, but she has picked up some notable victories along the way and ended the season in fine form. 

Wins both in stages and on general classification at the 

CIC-Tour Féminin International des Pyrénées

Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l'Ardèche

 have been the highlights, whilst Cavalli was only beaten by a sensational Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (her FDJ-SUEZ teammate) at the recent Giro dell'Emilia Donne. 

Giro dell'Emilia Donne: Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig wins alone after late attack

Looking ahead to next year's Tour de France Femmes, the 25-year-old should be confident of using the hilly second half of the race to her advantage and picking up a maiden stage victory at the year's biggest spectacle. 

Alpe d'Huez gives the riders extra motivation, says Cavalli 

"After we turn the page [halfway through the race], we have four really long and hard stages. I think ASO pushed a little bit more this year to make it again harder. The stages are really long, everyday more than 150km and elevation with 3,900m is a lot," reflected Cavalli.

"So we will spend long days on the bike and it is the best way to give the victory to the best rider in the peloton. I think it is hard but at the same time, it will be a great show for the people in the front of their TV and the crowds on the road."

Stages 5 to 8 could all be to Cavalli's liking, offering plenty of opportunities to build on her best finish of eighth at this year's edition, but it will be the final day's summit finish that will capture most of the riders' attention. For the first time in Tour de France Femmes history, the women's peloton will tackle the unforgiving slopes of Alpe d'Huez.

This special conclusion will mirror that of the men's race in 2015 - albeit not preceding a final-day procession - and keeps hot on the heels of the Planche des Belles Filles and Col du Tourmalet in the first two editions of the women's race. 

"The race is growing a lot," smiled Cavalli. "Every year they choose one iconic climb and it makes an amazing atmosphere and gives us a little bit more motivation to do our best on this climb."

The Italian was able to manage eighth on the Col du Tourmalet this year, as 

Demi Vollering rode to both the stage and overall victory

, and had crashed out of the race by the time the peloton reached the Planche des Belles Filles in 2021. This time around, the FDJ-SUEZ climber will surely be a rider to watch on one of cycling's most famous climbs. 

To find out more about the Tour de France Femmes 2024, 

Not Checking These Simple Things Can Ruin Your Event

Is The New Cannibal Getting Greedy At The Giro? | GCN Racing News Show

Why I'm Ditching Dura-Ace For Mechanical 105

How A Bike Tyre Is Made | Pirelli Factory Tour

Name	Age	UCI Career Wins	UCI Points
Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig	28	18	2233
Grace Brown	31	20	1484
Evita Muzic	24	5	1283
Amber Kraak	29	2	1076
Marta Cavalli	26	9	745

FDJ-SUEZ

FDJ-SUEZ

The Team

Top FDJ-SUEZ Stories

FDJ-SUEZ Team Talk: Plenty of success, but were there enough big race wins?

Tour Down Under: Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig takes over from faltering Grace Brown

Marta Cavalli eyes up stage wins at the 2024 Tour de France Femmes

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