Just about four weeks left and then the year 2025 will be over. Road cycling is currently in hibernation, although the first training camps have already been scheduled. Still, we look back once more on 2025 and analyze the five best transfers from last winter that had the most impact on their new teams. We do this in alphabetical order.
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma | Lease a Bike Women)
photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos © 2025
Well, can you argue against this? Pauline Ferrand-Prévot joined Visma | Lease a Bike Women last year to attempt to win the Tour de France Femmes within three years. The Frenchwoman managed to win the Tour in her first season, making Visma | Lease a Bike the first team to have won the Tour de France in both the men’s and women’s categories. Ferrand-Prévot also had a fantastic spring, with second place in the Tour of Flanders and the victory at Paris-Roubaix.
Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek)
photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos © 2025
Niamh Fisher-Black actually ranks fifth on this list. Although riders like Anna van der Breggen, Maeva Squiban, or Cédrine Kerbaol could have been mentioned here as well, the 25-year-old New Zealander is the choice. Fisher-Black was among those leaving SD Worx-ProTime at the end of 2024 and rose to prominence in 2025. The New Zealand rider was in good form from start to finish, with top-10 finishes in every race that had even a bit of climbing. She finished fifth in the Tour de France and sixth in La Vuelta Femenina. The cherry on top—and the only blemish this year—was second place at the Road World Championships, leaving Fisher-Black to end the season without a win. However, Lidl-Trek can count on the New Zealander for the coming years.
Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ)
photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos © 2025
Thanks in part to Elisa Longo Borghini, UAE has become one of the superpowers in women’s cycling as well. The team from the United Arab Emirates is quickly gaining ground in the women’s peloton. Longo Borghini’s transfer last winter from Lidl-Trek played a major role in that. She immediately made a statement at her new team by finishing first and second alongside teammate Silvia Persico at the UAE Tour. Later, she also won Dwars door Vlaanderen and the Brabantse Pijl. As a top favorite, the Italian had to abandon the Tour of Flanders after a crash. The highlight was, of course, her victory in the Giro d’Italia Women—the first grand tour win for her team.
Marlen Reusser (Movistar)
Movistar took a risk last winter by signing Marlen Reusser, who when announced was at home ill with long COVID. That courage was more than rewarded a year later, as the Swiss rider had the best season of her career. Reusser was second at La Vuelta Femenina and second at the Giro Women—which she would have won if she hadn’t fallen ill a few days before the end. The Swiss rider won the Tour of Switzerland ahead of Demi Vollering and just before that took the Vuelta a Burgos. But the best was yet to come. In Rwanda, Reusser became world time trial champion for the first time in her career. A week later, she also took the European champion’s jersey in the time trial. In short: Movistar is very happy with the Swiss rider.
Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez)
The last transfer on this list is, of course, Demi Vollering. FDJ-Suez became the top team in the UCI ranking thanks to the Dutchwoman’s transfer, knocking SD Worx-Protime off the throne after years. The vast majority of those points were earned by Vollering, who competed for the win in every race from start to finish. Transfers Juliette Berthet and Elise Chabbey also contributed (significantly). Vollering’s highlights with the team were winning Strade Bianche, La Vuelta Femenina, and her second place in the Tour de France Femmes—which she hopes to win next year (of course).
photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos © 2025
