“We built the team around Demi Vollering to win the 2025 Tour — We failed”: FDJ - Suez out for revenge on Pauline Ferrand-Prévot in 2026
Cycling
FDJ - Suez have made no secret of their ambition — winning the Tour de France Femmes remains the ultimate goal. But after being thwarted by an untouchable Pauline Ferrand-Prévot in 2025, Stephen Delcourt’s team are determined to return stronger than ever next summer.
Speaking to DirectVelo at the official presentation of the 2026 Tour in Paris, the French team boss struck a defiant tone: “We built the team around Demi Vollering to win the 2025 Tour de France. We failed, but we were beaten by someone stronger. Pauline was above everyone else — even with a time trial, she would have won. Now we have to close the gap, raise our level, and aim for victory in 2026.”
A superb route — and unfinished business
Delcourt described the new route as “superb, tricky, and complete”, noting that the race would demand “a lot of work and reconnaissance”. FDJ - Suez, he said, were already preparing to leave nothing to chance.
“The Tour is the race,” he reflected. “We had an excellent season — second overall, winners of the team classification, the polka-dot jersey — and we gave everything. If we’d lost because of a tactical mistake, that would be frustrating. But Pauline was unbeatable. Now it’s about closing the gap physically, tactically and in preparation.”
Despite finishing second at the Tour, Vollering still ended the year as the world’s top-ranked rider — the first time in history a French team, men’s or women’s, has held that distinction. “It’s exceptional,” Delcourt admitted. “But it’s true, we’d trade that world number one ranking for the yellow jersey. The yellow jersey is the Holy Grail — even more than the rainbow one.”
Vollering had to settle for 2nd spot on the Tour de France podium in 2025
Changing approach for 2026
While Vollering will remain at the heart of the project, Delcourt confirmed that FDJ - Suez will approach next season differently. “We’ll have more individualised calendars, varied tactical choices and new training methods,” he said. “We reduced the roster from 18 to 16 riders to race a little less but with greater collective strength.”
The team will trim its schedule by around 5–10%, ensuring freshness for key objectives. “The season now runs from mid-November to late October — there’s little time for personal life,” Delcourt explained. “We want more freshness to perform at the big events.”
Ten races to define an era
The Tour de France remains central, but not the only focus. Delcourt has identified ten major races FDJ - Suez aim to conquer by 2028 — from Strade Bianche and Paris-Roubaix to all three Grand Tours and the Ardennes Classics.
“This year we’ve already ticked off two: Strade Bianche and the Vuelta,” he noted. “We finished second at La Flèche, third at Liège, second at the Tour. We want to win every race that writes the history of this team.”
Two decades after its foundation, FDJ - Suez find themselves closer than ever to cycling’s biggest prizes — and, if Delcourt’s determination is any measure, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot can expect fierce competition when the peloton rolls out again next summer.
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Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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