How will Red Bull get involved in the women’s peloton?
Zoe Bäckstedt at the start of the Omloop Nieuwsblad.
Cor Vos
So far, 2026 has treated women’s cycling fans to an amazing string of races, and that string is set to continue at Milan-San Remo on Saturday. Many of the best riders in the sport will be in attendance, and the list of favourites spans generations and teams. It’s the perfect recipe for a great 15 minutes of bike racing (because … San Remo, IYKYK).
First things first: Red Bull + FDJ United-Suez = a whole lot of resources
Last week on the podcast, we discussed the rumour that Red Bull is keen to get into women’s cycling properly. They already sponsor a few athletes – Zoe Bäckstedt, Blanka Vas, Kate Courtney and Evie Richards (MTB) – but they don’t sponsor a full team as they do in the men’s peloton. The rumours are all pointing the energy drink towards FDJ United-Suez, already one of the biggest teams in the sport, but not one of the richest. Last year, at the end of the season, FDJ United-Suez team boss Stephen Delcourt said that the team made the decision to go from 18 to 16 riders with a more focused calendar. This decision was in part due to the UCI’s mandatory participation rules for WorldTeams and WorldTour races (they can skip one).
So, while FDJ United-Suez is the top team at the moment, or at least tied with UAE Team ADQ, they are playing with less money than some. Demi Vollering is also on a contract year and almost certainly asking for more than the French team signed her for in 2025. In other words, it’s not like Red Bull would be coming in to sponsor the team that already has the most resources. To put it in men’s cycling terms, they aren’t coming in looking to sponsor the team of Tadej Pogačar.
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