{"id":703189,"date":"2026-07-21T10:28:26","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T10:28:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/703189\/"},"modified":"2026-07-21T10:28:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T10:28:26","slug":"fdj-united-suez-score-victory-in-kate-courtneys-first-race-as-van-agt-takes-first-pro-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/703189\/","title":{"rendered":"FDJ United-SUEZ score victory in Kate Courtney’s first race as Van Agt takes first pro win"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eva van Agt<\/a> soloed to victory for FDJ United-SUEZ<\/a> in Saturday’s La P\u00e9rigord Ladies, marking the Dutch rider’s first professional victory.<\/p>\n

As well as Van Agt’s win, the race was a special occasion for FDJ as it was the first race for their newest signing, US national champion Kate Courtney, who joined the team with immediate effect last Monday<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The multidisciplinary star got her first taste of success with the WorldTour’s most successful team of 2026 so far, helping Van Agt to the win and finishing 15th herself \u2013 FDJ’s best finisher behind the winner.<\/p>\n

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“The first rodeo,” Courtney wrote on Instagram. “I made a lot of mistakes out there. But I know one thing is for sure \u2013 I\u2019m in the right place with the right people to learn and stay on the attack.<\/p>\n

The hilly race between Rouffiac and Boulazac in southwestern France split apart in the difficult finale, with Van Agt going solo 2.2km from the finish to claim not only her first win of 2026 since signing for FDJ, but indeed her first-ever win as a professional since transitioning from college-level hockey<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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A group of seven riders sprinted for second place behind her, with Karlijn Swinkels (UAE Team ADQ) grabbing the runner-up spot ahead of Liv AlUla Jayco’s Mackenzie Coupland.<\/p>\n

Courtney came in in a group three minutes down on the winner, sprinting for 15th.<\/p>\n

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The next day, FDJ took on another race in the south of France, La Picto en Nouvelle-Aquitaine, where Nicole Steigenga<\/a> (AG Insurance-Soudal) took the win but Courtney took the French team’s best result, sprinting to 13th in the lead group to cap off a successful debut weekend for the team.<\/p>\n

“What a special feeling racing as a real team for the first time in my career. Two days of battling in the bunch, learning from the best and celebrating\u00a0Eva van Agt taking her first pro win!” she said.<\/p>\n

In an Instagram video<\/a> posted by FDJ United-Suez, Courtney says to Van Agt after La Picto, “What an amazing pull, thank you so much.”<\/p>\n

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“It was so fun racing with you, I learned a lot,” she goes on to say, before Van Agt replies, “Oh yeah, she is strong.”<\/p>\n

Though this weekend was Courtney’s first time racing for her new team, it was not her first taste of road race success in Europe, with the 30-year-old taking a stage win at the Tour de F\u00e9minin with the US national team in May.<\/p>\n

Her debut road season with FDJ will continue at August’s Tour of Britain Women<\/a>, with the rest of her racing schedule still to be confirmed.<\/p>\n

“Lots of motivation for the next few weeks of training,” she signed off her post. Thank you for giving me so much to fight for FDJ-Suez.”<\/p>\n