Team DSM-firmenich PostNL women under review: A strong trident, but now slightly blunter

PostNL, the Dutch postal service, is incredibly busy delivering packages and cards in the days leading up to Christmas. Thankfully, our review of Team dsm-firmenich PostNL travels effortlessly through the cloud. This way, you can read without delivery fees about how team leader Lorena Wiebes brought the team success after success for years. After her departure in 2023, the loss was skillfully compensated for by the strong trio of Kool, Labous, and Georgi. However, in 2024, this weapon appears to have dulled a little bit. IDLProCycling.com looks back on the past year and takes a brief glance ahead at 2025!

One-day races 2024: Team dsm-firmenich PostNL

Winning a classic or another one-day race? No, that wasn’t in the cards for the Dutch team. Nevertheless, Pfeiffer Georgi, Charlotte Kool, and Juliette Labous showed that the team has enough quality to compete at the front.

British champion Georgi performed well in the spring, finishing 10th in the Tour of Drenthe, 5th in the Trofeo Alfredo Binda, 3rd in Paris-Roubaix, and 4th in the Amstel Gold Race. She also secured 5th place in the Olympic road race.

Labous focused on the hilly classics and performed reasonably well there. She finished 7th in the Flèche Wallonne, 8th in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, 4th in the Olympic time trial, and concluded her season with a 3rd place in the Giro dell’Emilia and 6th in the Tre Valli Varesine. Charlotte Kool excelled in the sprint-oriented spring classics. She finished 2nd in Classic Brugge-De Panne and the Scheldeprijs, 4th in Gent-Wevelgem, and 7th in Le Samyn.

That’s where it ends, though. A few podium finishes — Paris-Roubaix being the standout — but no victories. All in all, you could call it a solid season, though a win would have been a welcome addition.

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Pfeiffer Georgi

(Grand) Tours 2024: Team dsm-firmenich PostNL

The responsibility in the Grand Tours also rested primarily on the three team leaders. Charlotte Kool was expected to deliver stage wins, and she partially lived up to that expectation. With the Tour starting in Rotterdam and two sprint opportunities in the first two days, there was immense pressure. Kool handled it brilliantly: she won both stages, leaving top sprinters like Elisa Balsamo, Lorena Wiebes, and Marianne Vos in her wake. Merely two stages in, the Tour de France was already a success for the team.

Still, Kool’s season lagged behind her phenomenal 2023, during which she claimed 13 victories, including eight at the WorldTour level. In 2024, the 25-year-old Dutchwoman couldn’t quite match that, but it didn’t mean she underperformed. In terms of UCI points, she was almost on par with the previous year. However, she often fell short by just a hair to see the results she wanted.

Ultimately, Kool only secured three wins, frequently finishing second or third instead. The form was clearly there, but someone else — usually her former teammate Lorena Wiebes — was often just that little bit better. While 2024 contrasts with her 2023 achievements, the two Tour stage victories made up for a lot. If success is to be found anywhere, let it be on French soil.

As expected, Juliette Labous focused on general classifications and once again showed consistency. She finished fourth in the Vuelta a España, third in the Tour of the Basque Country, fifth in both the Tour of Switzerland and the Giro d’Italia, sixth in the Tour de Romandie, and ninth in the Tour de France. The 26-year-old Frenchwoman has been a prime example of consistency for years, but in 2024 she lacked that extra sharpness, that edge. For example, in 2023, she placed second in the Giro, a result she didn’t come close to this year.

Lastly, Pfeiffer Georgi also achieved some noteworthy results. She finished fourth in the Tour of Britain and second in the Baloise Belgium Tour, but a victory eluded her — something she did achieve in 2023. Similarly, Germany’s Franziska Koch couldn’t add a win to her name, although she did secure a respectable second place in the Simac Ladies Tour. In short, the story for the Grand Tours mirrors that of other races: solid performances but without truly excelling.

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Kool in yellow at Tour de France Femmes

Final grade 2024: Team dsm-firmenich PostNL

All things considered, Team DSM-firmenich PostNL’s season was solid but far from exceptional. While the team achieved 19 victories in 2023 and even 28 in 2022, the eight wins in 2024 — four of which were national championships — are notably underwhelming. This drop is mainly explained by the departure of Lorena Wiebes, who was responsible for an astounding 22 of the team’s 28 wins in 2022. While Charlotte Kool managed to fill this void reasonably well in 2023, her impact in 2024 was, as mentioned, more limited.

Can the team really be blamed for failing to fully compensate for the departure of a rider like Wiebes? Not really, as talent of that caliber is hard to replace. That said, the team still delivered with numerous podium finishes and respectable results in both one-day races and stage races. The two stage wins in the Tour de France, in particular, stand out — performances like these instantly elevate a season. Nevertheless, the meager tally of victories cannot be overlooked.

The IDLProCycling.com editorial team rates Team DSM-firmenich PostNL’s 2024 season with a solid 7.3. Good, but not impressive.

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Labous leaves the Dutch formation

Transfers 2024/2025: Team dsm-firmenich PostNL

This winter, the team says goodbye to one of its key leaders. Juliette Labous is returning to her home country to join FDJ-Suez as a co-leader and super domestique for Demi Vollering. The 26-year-old Frenchwoman is a true product of the Dutch team, having been part of it since 2017. Following in her footsteps, 20-year-old French talent Eglantine Rayer is also moving to FDJ-Suez. Additionally, Daniek Hengelveld, Maeve Plouffe, and Anna van der Meiden will leave the team to continue their careers elsewhere.

The departure of Labous is offset by the arrival of Marta Cavalli, who is transferring from FDJ-Suez. The 26-year-old Italian had a phenomenal 2022, which seemed to pave the way for a stellar career. However, the past two seasons have been marred by physical setbacks and mental struggles. As we head towards 2025, Cavalli hopes for a fresh start with the Dutch team. Nonetheless, it’s a gamble: a peak-form Cavalli offers more potential than Labous, but that form is far from guaranteed.

The other transfers provide little immediate certainty of success. The 20-year-old Canadian Mara Roldan appears to be a versatile rider with potential, but her development will take time. Meanwhile, 18-year-old Belgian Ella Heremans seems best suited for one-day races. She already shows promise in cobbled classics and has a decent sprint, but she is still at the very beginning of her career.

Incoming: Marta Cavalli (FDJ-Suez), Mara Roldan (Cynisca Cycling) and Ella Heremans (AG Insurance-NXTG U19)

Outgoing: Juliette Labous (FDJ-Suez), Eglantine Rayer (FDJ-Suez), Daniek Hengelveld (CERATIZIT-WNT Pro Cycling Team), Maeve Plouffe (Hess Cycling Team) and Anna van der Meiden (WV Schijndel)

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Can Cavalli return to the top?

Ones to watch 2025: Team Picnic PostNL

In 2025, Team DSM-firmenich PostNL will undergo a transformation: with a new sponsor and fresh colors, the team will continue as Team Picnic-PostNL. The Dutch squad remains committed to its philosophy of talent development and will rely on an exceptionally young roster. Of the 17 riders on paper, only seven are over 24 years old.

This youthful approach allows room for surprises, and it’s entirely possible that someone will unexpectedly break through. One name to watch is 20-year-old Italian Eleonora Ciabocco. Despite her young age, she delivered impressive results in 2024, including seventh in the Flèche Brabançonne and sixth in the Tour de l’Avenir Femmes. Another rider with potential is American Megan Jastrab, who hopes for a comeback after a challenging 2024. In 2023, she showed what she’s capable of, with a fourth-place finish in Brugge-De Panne and second in Gent-Wevelgem. If she can be on track, she’ll be a valuable asset for the team.

For 2025, however, most hopes once again rest on the reliable team leaders. Charlotte Kool is seen as the biggest contender for wins. If she can recapture her impressive 2023 form, she could rack up victories once more. Similarly, the question remains whether Pfeiffer Georgi can match or even surpass her 2023 performances after a slightly less successful 2024.

The biggest question mark, however, is Marta Cavalli. If she can regain her old form, the Italian could play a pivotal role in both one-day races and stage races. Her victories in the Amstel Gold Race and Flèche Wallonne in 2022 remain iconic, but after two difficult years, it’s uncertain whether she can shine again. If she succeeds, Cavalli would undoubtedly be a top signing for Team Picnic-PostNL.

(Provisional) selection Team Picnic PostNL

1 Silje Bader
2 Francesca Barale
3 Rachele Barbieri
4 Marta Cavalli
5 Eleonora Ciabocco
6 Pfeiffer Georgi
7 Ella Heremans
8 Megan Jastrab
9 Franziska Koch
10 Charlotte Kool
11 Josie Nelson
12 Esmée Peperkamp
13 Mara Roldan
14 Abi Smith
15 Becky Storrie
16 Elise Uijen
17 Nienke Vinke

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