Tudor Pro Cycling has signed Clara Koppenburg to its gravel programme as the Swiss team's first female athlete as part of its move into mixed-discipline racing.
The 30-year-old German, who spent 11 seasons on the professional women's road circuit, will race an international calendar of gravel events in 2026 alongside Swiss rider Jan Stöckli. Both are fully integrated into the team's partnerships and organisational structure, the team said.
"Welcoming Clara Koppenburg to Tudor Pro Cycling marks a proud moment for us," CEO and team co-owner Raphael Meyer said. "Clara embodies our core values and, as our first female rider, enhances the diversity of athletes at Tudor Pro Cycling."
Tudor Pro Cycling was launched in 2022 by double Olympic champion Fabian Cancellara. The team expanded into gravel racing in April 2025 with the signings of Simon Pellaud and Stöckli, describing the discipline as a "complementary pillar" to its road programme. Until Koppenburg's arrival, the team's roster of 46 riders across its Pro, Devo and Gravel divisions consisted entirely of men.
Koppenburg raced for several high-profile UCI Women's WorldTour and Continental teams during her road career, including Bigla Pro Cycling, Rally Cycling and Cofidis. Her palmarès includes an overall victory at the 2019 Setmana Ciclista Valenciana and a second-place finish at the 2022 Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge.
Her transition to gravel began in late 2025. She finished fifth at the UCI Gravel World Series event at Sea Otter Europe in Girona in September, trailing winner Nicole Frain by approximately 10 minutes. The following month, she placed sixth overall at the inaugural Nedbank Gravel Burn, a seven-day, 750km stage race in South Africa.
"During the past season, with quite a few ups and downs in road cycling, I felt I needed a change and a new challenge," Koppenburg said. "After signing up for a Gravel race, I realised how much energy and happiness it brought me, leading me to shift my focus and begin a new chapter in my cycling career."
Her 2026 season is scheduled to begin on February 14 at the two-day Santa Vall race in Spain. The calendar builds towards The Traka in Girona and Unbound Gravel – the gravel race in Kansas which increasingly serves as the epicentre of competitive gravel.
Gravel racing differs significantly from WorldTour road events, featuring mass-start formats where elite women line up alongside elite men and age-group riders. The format requires riders to be self-sufficient and mechanically independent, with less reliance on team support.
Tudor's decision to sign a female pro, and specifically a gravel specialist, is a starting point for the team's gender parity but will also be a positive for sponsors such as BMC and SRAM, who are heavily involved in the gravel market.
