From MTB World Champion to the WorldTour: Kate Courtney Signs for FDJ United-SUEZ

Kate Courtney is taking one of the most striking turns of the 2026 season. The American mountain bike star has joined FDJ United-SUEZ with immediate effect, transforming a recent return to road racing into a contract with one of the leading teams in the Women's WorldTour.

Unlike a transfer rumour, this move has been officially announced by the French squad and confirmed by Courtney. Her agreement runs through the end of 2028, giving both rider and team more than two seasons to explore how far her endurance, climbing strength and off-road instincts can carry her on the road.

Courtney arrives with an exceptional mountain bike record. She won the cross-country world title in 2018, took the overall World Cup crown in 2019 and became marathon world champion in 2025. Her career has been built on technical skill and sustained efforts, but her rapid progress on the road suggested that those qualities could translate into a very different racing environment.

The 30-year-old returned to road competition in 2026 after not racing in the discipline since she was 16. She quickly won a stage at the Tour Féminin in the Czech Republic and then claimed the United States road race title. Those results turned an experiment into a genuine new career path and persuaded FDJ United-SUEZ to offer her an immediate place in its WorldTour project.

Her introduction to the team will come quickly. Courtney is scheduled to wear her new colours at La Périgord Ladies on July 18 and La Picto-Charentaise the following day, before stepping up to the Women's WorldTour at the Tour of Britain Women from August 19 to 23. The programme will give her an early opportunity to learn positioning, teamwork and the tactical demands of elite road racing.

The signing is ambitious for both sides. FDJ United-SUEZ gain a rider with a major international profile and physical qualities that may suit hilly races, difficult one-day events and stage races. Courtney, meanwhile, receives the time and support needed to develop without pretending that success in mountain biking guarantees an immediate victory at the highest level on the road.

Her long-term agreement also carries the story towards the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic cycle. The exact shape of her programme may evolve, but the message is already clear: this is not a brief guest appearance. Courtney has opened a serious second chapter in her career, and one of women's cycling's most fascinating experiments is now officially under way.