Swiss road race champion Noemi Rüegg is still discovering her strength in the sport but her 2025 season got off to a roaring start. At the Tour Down Under, Noemi soloed to victory on the queen stage and then went on to win the overall general classification. She podiumed at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race and had top ten results at Strade Bianche and Trofeo Alfredo Binda before she sprinted to third place at the first modern edition of Sanremo women.

Noemi is simply continuing the momentum she built in 2024 when she won her first professional race, the Trofeo Felanitx-Colònia de Sant Jordi, on the squad’s first-ever day of racing. She then backed up that win with another at the Swiss national championships. She went to the Paris Olympics and finished seventh in the road race, before racing the Tour and mixing it up in the sprints.

Noemi is a punchy rider who can get over hard climbs. She is still trying to find out where her limits lie.

She came to bike racing through her family. At first, her goal was simply to keep up with her brother who is five years older than her. Their dad was involved with a local cycling club and Noemi slowly grew more and more curious. When she was 13, she finished her first cyclocross race and was hooked.

She turned professional on the road as a 19-year-old, leaving her full-time job caring for disabled people in a home. She is a two-time Under-23 Swiss time trial national champion but her heart belongs to the classics. Noemi loves a tough course, the more chaotic, the better. She is not afraid to be aggressive in the peloton and loves the excitement and energy of a hectic race.

Her ultimate goals are to podium in one of the classics and to develop as a stage racer. This year could be hers.

Henrietta fell in love with the sound of cycling. She heard the distinct sound of cleats walking on concrete and knew this was the sport for her. She then convinced her parents to let her take up the sport and the rest is history. She quickly discovered she was a powerful rider who excelled on climbs.

She realized she would have to leave New Zealand for Europe if she wanted to become a pro and she knew this would be expensive. To save money, she baked and decorated gourmet homemade cakes and sold them locally.

Her hard work – both on the bike and in the kitchen – soon paid off. Last season she was third at the Gran Premio Ciudad de Eibar. She has won the best young rider competition at the Tour Down Under and the Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l’Ardèche. Her top ten GC results include the Tour Down Under, Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, the Vuelta Ciclista Andalucía, and the Clasica de Almeria. She is a former junior and under-23 time trial national champion.

This is Henrietta’s first season with EF Education-Oatly and she has quickly become an essential teammate. Her support was vital in Noemi’s stage and GC wins at Tour Down Under, as well as in Kim’s win in the New Zealand road race national championship. At the Vuelta España Femenina, she played a big role in helping Cédrine finish in fourth place on GC. At just 23 years old, Henrietta is still discovering her full potential.