Difficulties at World Tour level
In 2024, Human Powered Health’s riders secured victory seven times during the season, which is far from the least among the Women’s World Tour teams. However, none of those wins were at World Tour level, and three of them happened during National Championships.
In the past few years, Human Powered Health have had trouble performing at the highest level of cycling, accumulating wins mainly on the secondary circuit. The 2024 season was yet another example of this for the American team. Among the best riders of Human Powered Health last year, Daria Pikulik was maybe the one who showed herself the most during prestigious races. Indeed, the former winner of the Tour of Guangxi scored a few podiums in World Tour races throughout the season, finishing third on a stage at the UAE Tour and sprinting to finish in the same position at Brugge-De Panne. The Polish rider also shone during the European Championships, where she brought home the bronze medal.
Daria Pikulik (L) and Ruth Edwards (R) were key riders for HPH in 2024 (image credits: Wikimedia Commons)
In the hillier races, the American Ruth Edwards was the main card for Human Powered Health last season. The native of Keighley in Kansas triumphed at the Internationale LOTTO Thuringen Tour, adding another general classification to her trophy cabinet following the Tour Down Under in 2020. The 31-year-old also came close to victory during the Giro d'Italia, where she ended up on the second step of the podium twice.
Besides these two riders, Human Powered Health had trouble competing at World Tour level and concentrated on smaller races. Riders like Silvia Zanardi and Lily Williams showed their strength in one-day races. The results accumulated at those races allowed Ro De Jonckere’s team to finish 13th in the UCI classification, gaining two places compared to 2023.
A very interesting transfer window
After a very busy interseason 2023-2024, a calm winter could have been expected for Human Powered Health. However, the American team welcomed six new riders to its ranks for next season, including some very good catches, to replace a handful of outgoing riders including most significantly, women's peloton stalwart Audrey Cordon-Ragot, whose personality and experience will be a big miss for the team.
The most famous of these recruits is the Dutch rider Thalita De Jong. At 31 years old, this very good climber had a great season in 2024, finishing in the top 10 at the Tour de France. The native of Bergen op Zoom also added a first ever general classification to her trophy cabinet during the Tour de l’Ardèche and showed that she could also perform at the Flanders Classics with a top 10 at Gent-Wevelgem. After a year in a second division team, De Jong will recover her place in the World Tour with a team where she should be the leader. The Dutchwoman already announced her participation at La Vuelta, which should be her first objective of the season.
Alongside De Jong, Kathrin Schweinberger could also be a very good improvement for Human Powered Health in the two seasons to come. At 28 years old, the former double Austrian champion won once in 2024, at Dwars door het Hageland. The 28-year-old also showed her sprinting abilities in several races, including the Giro where she posted a top 4 finish. In the same field, Maggie Coles-Lyster is also joining Human Powered Health for 2025. The Canadian is also a very complete rider, and already achieved a top 10 at Gent-Wevelgem, along with top 10s in bunch sprints at World Tour level.
To complete their 2025 roster, Human Powered Health’s management team also chose to give some younger riders their chance, with Mona Mitterwallner and Carlotta Cipressi. Though the former has never raced at the professional level on the road, she is an excellent mountain-bike rider, already triumphant on the World Cup circuit, so she will be one of the riders to watch this season. The Spanish vice-champion Iurani Blanco is the final addition for Human Powered Health for 2025.
New recruits: clockwise from top left - Mona Mitterwallner, Maggie Coles-Lyster, Kathrin Schweinberger, Thalita De Jong (all images: Wikimedia Commons)
Aiming for World Tour victories
After a season without a success at the World Tour level, one of the main objectives of 2025 for Human Powered Health will be to see one of their riders raise her arms at this level again. To do that, the American team will count on experienced riders, who have already shone in these kind of races.
The mission of winning in World Tour will start in a few days, on the Australian roads of the Tour Down Under. For the start of the season, Ro De Jonckere chose to send some of the best riders of the team to the other side of the world, in order to aim for a win. Indeed, Ruth Edwards, who already triumphed at the race in 2020, will be the leader of the American team in Australia. Though the American will face competition for the general classification, winning a stage could be possible for her or for one of her teammates. Alongside Edwards, the new recruit Kathrin Schweinberger will also take part in the Australian party, with the goal of proving as soon as possible to her new team that they made the right choice when they recruited her.
If the European races are more complicated to win due to the amount of competition, some Human Powered Health riders could very well be the surprise of the season. Indeed, though Daria Pikulik has not yet announced her racing schedule outside of the Mallorca trophies, the Polish sprinter could shine at the highest level of cycling, especially during bunch sprints. In addition, Mona Mitterwallner could also be the saviour of her new team. Despite the Austrian's lack of road racing experience, the examples of MTB riders adapting very well to the road are numerous, the last one being Puck Pieterse.
Overall, Human Powered Health will surely not be the best team in the world in 2025. However, the mix of experience and youth could allow the American team to succeed again at the World Tour level, while continuing to score at smaller races.
Image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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