Dani Christmas makes her debut as sports director for AG Insurance – Soudal at Setmana Ciclista Valenciana

On Thursday, February 14, the 9th edition of Setmana Ciclista Valenciana - Vuelta Comunitat Valenciana kicks off. This four-day Spanish stage race offers a diverse course covering 496.5 kilometers, featuring challenging climbs and opportunities for sprinters. For AG Insurance – Soudal, this race marks not only the next event on the calendar but also a significant milestone: Dani Christmas makes her official debut as a sports director.

Dani, who officially joined the team in January 2025, is excited about this new step in her career. "Of course, I’m extremely excited to make my debut as a sports director," she says. "I’ve been to all three training camps in preparation for the season—two with the WorldTour team and last week with the Development team. After all that preparation, it feels great to finally get into the racing."

The season has already started well for AG Insurance – Soudal, with strong performances in both the Tour Down Under and the UAE Tour. "We want to continue in that direction here in Valencia. It’s going to be a tough race with a strong start list full of quality riders, but we’re coming here with a young team, which gives us the opportunity to race without pressure. We want to embrace the process, grow as a team, and work on our process goals in the race."

For Tess Moerman and Emma Siegers, both from the U23 team, this will be their first race at this level. "I spent last week with them in Altea, and I’m really happy to have them here. We’ll take good care of them, and hopefully, they will learn a lot from the WorldTour riders and from this experience."

The first stage promises to be a tough start. "Many riders already know this stage, and today we checked out the final 25 kilometers of the course, so everyone is well prepared," Dani explains. "As a sports director, it’s important for me to prepare the race as well as possible. That means not only knowing the course but also understanding the riders and setting realistic yet challenging goals for them. Most of all, we want them to enjoy racing and get the most out of this race."

Dani adapts her approach to the group she is working with. "For this race, we have a young team, so the focus is on learning and development. If we do that well and grow in how we race, the results will follow naturally. But we’re not putting that pressure on them yet. The most important thing is that the riders receive the best possible support at all times, and my role is to guide them in that process."

She also knows the Setmana Ciclista Valenciana from her time as a rider. "I’ve raced this event a few times, so I know what to expect. But I also understand that every rider is different. That’s why I try to get to know them as well as possible and figure out how to bring out the best in each of them. That way, we can grow together as a team and give it our all."

"I’m really looking forward to getting started, and I hope we can enjoy some great days of racing here in Spain!"