Kim Le Court warns: other teams should be afraid of us

Kim Le Court is motivated to the bone for the 2026 cycling season and is ready for her first classic of the year: the Strade Bianche. The leader of AG Insurance-Soudal already fired a warning shot at the competition during the AG Insurance-Soudal media day: "Other teams should be afraid of us."

This is not the first time Le Court has shown her muscle. Last year in the Tour de France Femmes, the Mauritian already spoke similar words about Sarah Gigante before the stage to the Col de la Madeleine. "Other teams have no idea what’s coming their way," she said at the time.

When WielerFlits asked Le Court where this warlike language came from during the media day, she replied: "I think, and maybe I’ll regret these words, that the other girls on our team are too modest and shy to say things like that. They don’t say, we’re going to do this. While I believe as a team we have to believe and say that, especially when you look at how we have grown as a squad."

"We are a team that other teams watch, just as we keep an eye on other teams. As a team, we were first a bit hesitant, but after last season people expect us to control and shape the race. We now have to approach races with the mindset: we’re going to win here and perform here. The other girls on our team need to have that confidence too."

Challenge accepted
Le Court’s confidence is certainly high ahead of an important season. For the 29-year-old Mauritian, it will be a season of confirmation. Can she repeat her success from 2025, when she won Liège-Bastogne-Liège and a stage in the Tour? "It will be difficult to do better than last season, but I’m happy to take on the challenge."

"It was a good winter for me, although on Mauritius we don’t really have a winter. It was nice and good to be home with family and friends, because I don’t spend a lot of time with them. I was a little sick, of course, in January, but I’m really looking forward to racing again."

"Defending my title at Liège-Bastogne-Liège is a big goal for me. The same goes for La Flèche Wallonne, which AG is also a sponsor of. And then, of course, there’s the Tour of Flanders that I will do. Until 2024, I had never ridden on cobbles, but in recent years I’ve gotten used to it. It was first quite a shock to the system, I have to say. But I think we as a team can really make a difference, with also Letizia Borghesi and Shari Bossuyt."

"We have a lot of ambition," she concludes. "And many goals, with strong riders. The belief in each other is very strong, not only among the riders but also among the staff. Hopefully it will be a great year for us."