SD Worx-Protime has strengthened its roster with Valentina Cavallar. The 24-year-old Austrian joins from Arkéa-B&B Hotels Women. Cavallar has a unique background: she competed as a rower at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games.
After shifting her focus to cycling, Cavallar signed her first professional contract in 2024. She immediately made an impression, including a second place in the mountains classification at the Tour of the Basque Country, second place at the Tour Féminin International des Pyrénées (2.1), and a seventh place in the final stage of the Tour de France Femmes to Alpe d’Huez, coming from an early breakaway.
In 2025, Cavallar secured her first professional victory at the Alpes Gresivaudan Classic (1.1). The climber also finished eighth at the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas (2.WWT) and returned to the podium at the Tour Féminin International des Pyrénées, this time in third place.
Tour de France Femmes 2022
“I still can hardly believe that next year I will race in the colors of SD Worx-Protime,” Cavallar says on her new team’s website. “I caught the racing bug when I went to watch the 2022 Tour de France for women. We were on training camp with the national rowing team and decided to squeeze in a bike ride to watch the stage from the Grand Ballon. Once the peloton passed the Petit Ballon, the roads reopened. So I followed the course cycling along. Until I suddenly caught up with the tail of the peloton and could ride behind the last motorbike all the way to the finish.”
“That’s where the seed was planted to start racing. Deep down, I always knew I wanted to cycle. As a rower, my highlight was competing at the Olympics at age 20. The year after Tokyo, I decided to quit rowing to focus fully on cycling. But in Austria, becoming a pro cyclist isn’t straightforward. There are hardly any cycling teams or competitions.”
Emotional
She therefore tried her luck in Italy. “After a strong amateur race, I got in touch with my manager. I underwent several indoor tests and signed with Arkéa in the middle of spring 2024. Suddenly I was riding the Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. And I wore the mountains jersey in the Tour of the Basque Country. Things moved fast. 2025 was tougher, due to injuries and a personal situation.”
For Cavallar, it was an emotional moment when SD Worx-Protime came calling. “Since the very first Tour, this has been my dream team. That dream is now coming true. I still get goosebumps thinking about it. All my idols are on this team: Anna van der Breggen, Lorena Wiebes, and Lotte Kopecky. It’s a privilege to be able to learn from the best riders. I’m a climber and love stage races. The harder and longer, the better for me. I have a strong winning mentality and want to work hard to improve. I want to grow into a more complete rider at SD Worx-Protime and contribute to the team’s success.”
Power in the mountains
Danny Stam comments that Cavallar is “a great reinforcement” for SD Worx-Protime’s climbing squad. “We hope Valentina can support our team in the mountains, as we have been lacking some power there. She made the switch from rowing to cycling and obviously still has a lot to learn. But she has already shown her climbing talent, among others in the Tour de France. We will give her the time and space to develop herself.”
Valentina Cavallar| Year | Team |
|---|---|
| 2026 | |
| 2025 | |
| 2024 |
