Cycling
Why isn’t Kate Courtney racing in the Tour de France Femmes?
Many fans expected newly-signed Kate Courtney to race the Tour de France Femmes, but FDJ UNITED-SUEZ plan a gradual transition to road racing over an immediate debut at the sport’s biggest stage race.
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The ultimate prize in women’s cycling is back on the line. At the 2026 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, a peloton of elite cyclists battle over nine fierce stages of racing in pursuit of the sport's ultimate symbol of victory: the legendary yellow jersey.
FDJ UNITED-SUEZ remains a top squad to watch this season, featuring a powerful mix of global stars, reliable support riders, and rising young talent. Kate Courtney joined the team on July 13, 2026, but she isn’t part of the team racing in the Tour and the cycling world is asking: why not?
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FDJ UNITED-SUEZ’s strategy for Kate Courtney
The mountain bike star – turned road racer – hit the ground running with the team at the 1.1 La Périgord Ladies, where she finished a credible 15th. However, the Tour de France Femmes was never in the plan for Courtney.
She has less road racing experience than the seven cyclists who were selected to race in the Tour. Before winning the US National Road Race title in June 2026, she hadn’t competed in a road race since she was 16 years old. Throwing her into the high-stakes peloton of the hardest stage race in the world so quickly was deemed a premature risk by team management.
Kate Courtney has a lot of experience navigating gruelling courses
© Fabio Piva / Red Bull Content Pool
On this, FDJ UNITED-SUEZ General Manager Stephen Delcourt said: “Kate is a remarkable athlete with a particularly promising profile in short, demanding races. FDJ UNITED-SUEZ has always been committed to welcoming athletes who have excelled in disciplines other than road cycling.”
Courtney told CyclingNews that her 2026 half-season is strictly a "head start" to learn the strategy, tactical aspects and dynamics of the European Women's WorldTour peloton.
I couldn’t be more excited about pursuing one of the most ambitious goals of my sporting life
Courtney's contract with FDJ UNITED-SUEZ, which runs through December 2028, is part of a strategy to prepare her for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. "I couldn’t be more excited about starting to learn, develop and pursue one of the most ambitious goals of my sporting life," she said in the contract announcement. “I’m incredibly motivated by the prospect of taking on this huge challenge, so that I can truly discover what I’m capable of.”
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Why was Kate Courtney in Lausanne if she wasn’t racing?
Despite not making the roster for the 2026 edition of the race, Courtney still made the journey to Lausanne to support the team from the other side of the barriers and present them with their new Red Bull helmets as the new partnership between the team and the brand was announced on the morning of the Grand Départ.
"We had some big news to share,” she said in her CyclingNews interview, “so that was my primary motivation – to give these girls some wings as they take on the hardest race in the world. But also, I think for me, being here for a couple days – I'll just be here for Stage 1 and 2 – is a huge learning opportunity. I can see not only what's happening in the race, but also everything behind the scenes, and learn a bit about what it would take to make a team someday."
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What’s next for Kate Courtney?
Kate Courtney won the UCI MTB World Championships 2025 in Switzerland
© Thomas Maheux / Red Bull Content Pool
Courtney will next race in the team’s jersey at the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women, August 19-23, 2026, before carrying the momentum from her recent US Pro Road National Championships victory toward a selection-qualifying spot for the UCI Road World Championships in Montreal in September.
The next few months are looking busy for Kate Courtney as she completes the 2026 season, trains for 2027 and settles in with the team. “I feel I’ve found the team environment I’ve been looking for since the start of my career,” she said.
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