🎥 Ferrand-Prévot (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Vollering (FDJ-SUEZ)'s team switch isn't as smooth as it seems

On a website, it always looks simple: Rider X moves from Team A to Team B, and that's it. A new jersey, a different bike, and off they go. But of course, it’s not that easy. Everything is new with a team switch—new teammates, staff, equipment, routines. This winter, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Demi Vollering are giving us a glimpse into what it’s really like to make such a transition.

Ferrand-Prévot is returning to road cycling in 2025 after focusing entirely on mountain biking with INEOS Grenadiers in recent years. At Visma | Lease a Bike, she has the opportunity to reignite her road ambitions, with the Tour de France Femmes as her ultimate goal. The move feels like a relatively soft landing since Ferrand-Prévot started her career at Rabobank in 2012 and stayed there until the end of 2016. After that, she moved to Canyon//SRAM Racing before shifting her focus to mountain biking in 2020, with the Paris Olympics as her main objective.

Her past with Rabobank makes the transition to Visma | Lease a Bike a little easier. She also has a personal connection—her partner, Dylan van Baarle, has been with the men's team for two seasons. After a cycling holiday in South Africa with her husband, the French rider joined the women's squad of the "Killer Bees." A warm welcome? Not exactly, as seen in a video on her Instagram. The team wrapped up a ten-day training camp in Spain on Wednesday with a plunge into the sea. "Thanks for ten memorable days," Ferrand-Prévot wrote, promising fresh photos of her in a Visma kit on January 1.

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Vollering enjoying her time at FDJ-SUEZ

Vollering took things a step further with her fans via her social media channels. Following her much-discussed move from SD Worx-Protime, the Dutch cyclist has been warmly welcomed by her new teammates at FDJ-SUEZ in recent weeks. It all started with an American getaway to Portland, USA, with sponsor Nike, followed by a team trip to California, where the new Specialized bike was unveiled. Back in Spain, the focus shifted to hard work, with testing sessions and even a French lesson for Vollering. "How do you say cheers in French?"

She describes it as "a behind-the-scenes look" while sharing footage of a day of testing. "Racing fitness is so much more than just cycling. For me as an athlete, it’s very important to stay healthy in the long term. That’s why I do screenings, where we analyze my movement patterns and create a personal profile to minimize long-term risks. Never stop improving."