Sofie van Rooijen will join Human Powered Health in 2027, reinforcing the team’s sprinting capabilities off the back of her victory at Konvert Kortrijk Koerse on Friday.
Hailing from Driel in the Netherlands and joining from UAE Team L’IMAD, van Rooijen is a former under-23 European road champion with a palmarès that reflects her talents in bunch sprints. The 24-year-old has taken seven professional wins, including a WorldTour victory on stage 2 of the 2025 Tour of Chongming Island.
“Human Powered Health is always one of the strongest teams to look out for, so I’m excited,” said van Rooijen. “I like the way they ride, aggressive, but also that they still have strong riders for the sprint. That also attracted me. And, most importantly, the meetings I had with them gave me a lot of support and a lot of trust.”
Van Rooijen represents exactly the type of rider the team is looking to develop as it continues to strengthen its roster.
“People may notice that we are adding quite a few fast riders to the team for next season, and that is very deliberate,” explains Ro De Jonckere, General Manager. “At the end of the day, you need speed to win bike races. But we are not signing riders simply because they are fast. We are looking for riders with the qualities to become much more complete and to give us different options in the finales of races.”
Van Rooijen shot to prominence in 2024, quickly developing into a proven fast finisher, taking five wins that season. After two years learning the ropes at WorldTour level, the win in Kortrijk provided a timely reminder of van Rooijen’s ability to deliver when an opportunity arrives.
“I have made some good steps mentally. I have had some setbacks, but mentally I learned a lot, and now I’m a stronger rider in my head,” van Rooijen said. “Friday felt like my last chance this year to get a win or a good result, and it was important for myself that I could show myself in these moments.”
Van Rooijen’s next objective is to turn that speed into a broader racing skill set.
“I hope to be there more in the finals, to get more opportunities, like in the sprint,” she said. “I think we will have a strong team, multiple riders who are really fast, so that we can play the final and play the game. I think that will be really exciting. I also hope to develop myself more in the Classics. That’s one of my biggest goals.”
It’s a goal shared by the team and fostered by the environment.
“Sofie has already shown that she has the speed to win. But we also believe there is more to come from her,” said De Jonckere. “She is still developing as a rider, and we want to help her become more versatile and give her the confidence and experience to compete in a wider range of races.”
“We know we are getting a rider with exceptional speed, but we also believe Sofie has the potential to become much more than a pure sprinter,” continues De Jonckere. “That combination makes her a very important signing for us as we continue to build a team that can compete for victories across the calendar.”
That journey began when van Rooijen first climbed onto a bike at seven after her grandfather bought one for her sister. What started with rides motivated by the promise of cake or ice cream quickly turned into racing. In the early years, van Rooijen combined her love of cycling with a passion for gymnastics, helping to develop her all-round skills as an athlete.
Her move to Human Powered Health will also bring a new experience, a first visit to the United States and to the Performance Labs, where rider health is placed at the centre of the program.
“I’m really curious what they will test and what they will find out,” she said. “I also really like that they have the health of the person first. That’s also what drew me into the team. They really said it in the meetings: the health for us is most important.”
The 2027 Human Powered Health roster is taking shape, and there is plenty more to come. Stay tuned, as we’ll be revealing another new signing very soon.
