Aurélie Sacchelli, Media365, published on Thursday November 7, 2024 at 10:16 a.m.
Aged 23, Frenchwoman Cédrine Kerbaol ended her contract with the Germans Ceratizit-WNT to join the Americans EF-Oatly-Cannondale. His goal: to compete in the next Tour de France, which will start in his native Brittany.
The year 2024 was that of confirmation for Cédrine Kerbaol, who won five victories (out of eight in total during her professional career), and this attracted the attention of the American team EF-Oatly-Cannondale, with whom she has signed up for the next two seasons. The 23-year-old Breton was however under contract for one more season with Ceratizit-WNTbut it took advantage of the fact that the German team did not register in time with the International Cycling Union to be in the 2025 World Tour (due to a simple administrative problem, according to Ceratizit-WNT) to end its commitment, which is authorized by the UCI. So here she is on her way to the United States, where she will find American Olympic champion Kristen Falkner among the squad.
A versatile runner
“This team has always interested me. There are a lot of strong riders here, so I come with the hope of doing big things with the team. Long, solitary efforts like time trials or breakaways are my main strength on the bike. This is how I like to run. I'm a good climber and, which I wouldn't necessarily have said in the past, a good descender too. I try to be balanced. I try to be a little bit of everything,” declared the young Frenchwoman, victorious in particular in the 6th stage of the Tour de France and the Trois Vallées Varésines this year. Being at the start of the Tour de France (in which she finished 6th overall), in fact, will be her main objective for 2025. “I love the Tour de France Femmes and next year, the second stage will start in my hometown. I was born in Brest, so it’s a very, very important goal that I’m looking forward to,” she said.
Bright days ahead for French women's cycling?
“Cédrine is a runner who matches the DNA of the team,” said team manager Esra Tromp. His riding style is exactly how we want to race. It's fascinating to see how she takes the risk of losing in order to give everything to obtain a result. She is an impressive runner and still very young. We both have big ambitions and I am confident that we will grow and succeed together. Cédrine's strength and versatility make her the ideal runner to complete our 2025 team.” With Cédrine Kerbaol, Evita Muzic, Juliette Labous, without forgetting Pauline Ferrand-Prévot who will return to the road at 100%, the 2025 season could be beautiful for French women's cycling.
