AG Insurance - Soudal welcomes new Sports Director: Fien Delbaere

AG Insurance - Soudal strengthens the sports core of the staff with the addition of Fien Delbaere as the new sports director.

Fien, 28 years old, was until a few days ago still active as a professional cyclist, a passion she has pursued since the age of thirteen. Previously, she worked at Cycling Vlaanderen in 2022 as a sports technical assistant for women's cycling. At the Belgian Time Trial Championship, she will be in the team car, her first race in her new role with the team.

Why the choice for the job and the AG Insurance - Soudal team?

“Cycling has always been a big part of my life. In recent years, I knew that after my active career I wanted to continue as a team leader. That's why I took the UCI sports director course last November in Aigle, Switzerland. This gave me peace and certainty for the future. Although my ankle fracture may have sped up the process a bit, I feel that this is the right moment. The injuries of the past two years have taken a lot out of me mentally, as an athlete, and now it's time for a new challenge.”

“I have 100% confidence in the AG Insurance - Soudal project. The pyramid of our U19 and U23 teams, as well as the WorldTour team, is something I strongly believe in. My work at Cycling Vlaanderen has shown me how enjoyable and important it is to work with young riders. The opportunity to work with both young talents and top athletes greatly appeals to me. AG Insurance is a strong partner and very involved in women's cycling, which perfectly aligns with my vision."

Expectations and Ambitions

“My ambitions are to help young talents in the U19 and U23 categories grow and to strive for top results with the WorldTour team. The goal is to develop AG Insurance - Soudal into one of the best WorldTour teams. We want to compete at the highest level throughout the year and get even closer to podiums and victories. This is my first role as a team leader, and I am determined to become the best version of myself and give 200% for this team.”

Jurgen Foré, team manager van AG Insurance-Soudal, is verheugd om Fien te verwelkomen in de sportieve staf van de vrouwenteams.  “Van bij het eerste gesprek met Fien was duidelijk dat ze alle vaardigheden heeft om een goede ploegleidster te zijn.  Ze heeft een duidelijke visie op hoe ze de job wil invullen, en specifiek ook hoe ze van bij de U19 onze rensters wil doorontwikkelen tot World Tour.  Omdat ze recent als renster in het vrouwenpeloton actief was, voelt Fien goed aan wat nodig is om rensters op de juiste manier sportief te begeleiden. Naast Fien en recent ook Stijn Steels voegen we ook twee dokters (Katja Van Oostveldt en Anneleen Geerts), een trainer (Michiel Stockman) en een verzorgster (Oxana Demeulemeester) toe aan de omkadering van onze vrouwenteams.  De functie van nutritionist wordt binnenkort ingevuld.  Qua omkadering zijn we klaar voor een mooie toekomst, aan de verdere invulling qua rensters wordt momenteel hard gewerkt.”

Fun Fact About Fien

Fien loves reading books, especially non-fiction, and enjoys going on vacations or short weekend getaways in nature. Additionally, she is a true coffee lover and skilled in making latte art.