Rising French cyclo-cross star Amandine Fouquenet will ride for Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw in 2026 after a late battle for a contract, moving to one of the sport's top teams after an impressive season so far.
Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw team manager Jurgen Mettepenningen confirmed the news to Sporza over the weekend in Dendermonde, where Fouquenet finished third.
Victim of the collapse of the Arkéa-B&B Hotels team, Fouquenet was simultaneously having a breakthrough season and fighting to find a home for 2026 over the festive period of racing, after announcing in October that she didn't have a contract lined up.
Following podiums in the first two rounds of the World Cup, she took the biggest win of her career at the Superprestige in Heusden-Zolder on December 23, backed up with second at the World Cup in Gavere on Boxing Day.
Even after Gavere, she said in her post-race interview that she did not yet have a contract, adding "I certainly hope [recent results] strengthens the teams' confidence in choosing me".
Clearly her efforts and successes have not gone unnoticed, though, and after a lengthy wait, she has a home at Pauwels Sauzen in 2026. She'll swap jerseys after the New Year – possibly debuting for the Belgian team at the GP Sven Nys on January 1 – and will ride alongside the likes of Michael Vanthourenout, Eli Iserbyt and Leonie Bentveld.
"We believe in her," Mettepenningen told Sporza. "She's motivated and even wants to move to Flanders for six months a year to race here.
"She has a lot of potential; we just need to work on her technique. But I think we can write a great story with her."
Though it took until the final weekend of December for Fouquenet to sign a contract, it wasn't for lack of interest, Mettepenningen said, with his team winning a battle to secure her signature.
"Many teams had their eyes on her," he said. "But we absolutely needed someone to compete alongside Leonie Bentveld week after week at the top of women's cyclo-cross."
Bentveld, the team's other top female cyclo-cross rider, rides on the road with AG Insurance-Soudal during the summer, and Pauwels Sauzen said they are "looking into whether that's also possible" for Fouquenet.
As well as being good news for Fouquenet, the arrival of the French rider offers a big boost to the Belgian team, who are currently without their star rider Eli Iserbyt who is dealing with a long-term iliac artery problem.
The 28-year-old, who used to battle with riders like Mathieu van der Poel and Tom Pidcock, is yet to start his 2025/26 campaign, and it's unlikely he will race at all this winter, with no return or even improvement in sight.
Mettepingen said "there's little change in Eli's situation", and many have speculated that early retirement could even be on the cards.
"Let's hope Eli finds the courage to make the miracle happen and that everything works out. But it's going to be a difficult story."
