Lisa van Belle makes direct debut at Vuelta a España for Team SD Worx-Protime

Lisa van Belle makes direct debut at Vuelta a España for Team SD Worx-Protime

01/05/2025

Team SD Worx-Protime has secured 21-year-old Lisa van Belle until the end of 2026. The Dutch rider transfers from Belgian Women's Team Velopro-Alphamotorhomes. Van Belle will take part in the Vuelta España Femenina with her new team immediately on Sunday.

‘This is a dream transfer,’ says Lisa van Belle enthusiastically. "I didn't think I could transfer to the top road team at this young age. Especially the confidence expressed in me by the team management strengthens me tremendously. Team SD Worx - Protime has many experienced riders and a staff that knows how to bring talents to the top. I can learn a huge amount here." 

‘We are honoured that the successful Team SD Worx - Protime has its eye on one of our riders,’ Velopro-Alphamotorhomes team manager Kris Alaerts commented. "That is an acknowledgement of our work. We don't have the resources to compete against the top teams, but we can introduce young talents to the big races and thus train them to a higher level."

Sports director Danny Stam of Team SD Worx - Protime has been following Van Belle for some time and received positive signals about her development from various quarters. "The decision to add a rider is because we were regularly tight in our line-ups. This is partly because Chantal Van den Broek-Blaak quit because of her pregnancy. Since Lisa is, in my eyes, a talent for the future, we felt that the sooner we have her under our wing, the better. I have seen her working regularly on the cycling track. That's where the potential of a good cyclist stands out. She is a team player, but also a real winner. I think she can become much stronger on the road. She had in her mind to eventually make the switch from track to road. We have experience of that with Lotte Kopecky and in the past also with Amy Pieters. We are confident that Lisa can grow into a good rider on the road."

Van Belle sees herself primarily as an explosive rider who has potential in the sprints and classics. Last year, Van Belle's focus was on track cycling. With Maike van der Duin, she managed to win a bronze medal on the madison at the Paris Olympics, while the pair captured the European title in the same discipline at the European Championships on the track in Zolder. "In terms of track cycling, of course, this team also has a wealth of experience. Danny Stam has always combined road and track as a rider, while nowadays Lotte Kopecky and Lorena Wiebes also make that combination very successful. The team therefore supports me in my track ambitions."

Van Belle makes her debut in the Vuelta España Femenina as early as Sunday. Stam: "She will be thrown into the deep end right away. That's where the learning curve immediately begins for her. She can get to know the team there without expectations from our side. Sometimes it is more ideal to debut in the team in a smaller race. On the other hand, there is no high stress on our team in Spain. For us, this is also always an intermediate stage of race. This way Lisa can get acquainted with the team and matches at a higher level without pressure."

‘I think it is great to ride in the colours of Team SD Worx - Protime straight into the Vuelta,’ Van Belle stressed. "It is a good way to immediately experience the team's way of working and to get to know the riders and staff well. I will try to dedicate myself as best I can to the other riders in the team and especially to Anna van der Breggen. I am convinced that this is immediately a race from which I can come out stronger."

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