UAE TEAM ADQ

Brodie Chapman has signed a two-year contract with UAE Team ADQ.

Fresh from her rainbow jersey-winning ride in the Mixed Relay TTT at the UCI Road World Championships in Zurich, Switzerland, Brodie Chapman has signed a two-year contract with UAE Team ADQ.

Ever since Chapman entered the WorldTour ranks the 33-year-old has forged a career as one of the most dedicated, talented, and loyal riders in the women’s peloton, and the Australian is looking forward to bringing those all-important qualities to UAE Team ADQ as the team continues to develop and improve.

The exciting arrival also means that Chapman is the first ever Australian to sign for the UAE Team ADQ WorldTour team, and sees her continue her excellent racing relationship with fellow new signing Elisa Longo Borghini, with both riders leaving Lild-Trek and making UAE Team ADQ an even more dynamic and powerful team for 2025 and beyond.

For Chapman, the move to UAE Team ADQ was down to several reasons but was sparked by a chance encounter during the spring. 

“During the middle of the year, I was looking for a new direction and I was at a training camp in the Dolomites and UAE Team ADQ was there too. I’ve always kept an eye on the team because they’ve been progressing and are a rising force in the peloton. I like that they’re super professional but also see room to improve. I like the idea of being part of projects like this, and when I found out that Elisa was coming to UAE Team ADQ, she helped cement my thinking because we obviously work well together. I wanted to continue that good relationship,” Chapman said.

A rider of Chapman’s qualities certainly had the interest of several teams in the women’s WorldTour but she was inspired by what UAE Team ADQ were building. In just a short space of time, the women’s team has laid the foundations of a strong and successful project. Along with the accomplishments of the WorldTour team, the UAE Team ADQ banner has also created a thriving Development team – one that will work closely with the WorldTour team in 2025. 

“There were a few options but the make-up of the team, and seeing how they ride in races, it felt like they’re on the tip of doing some great things. The team has been winning a lot recently, which is really cool, so going there with such an experienced rider like Elisa feels like it will bring the whole team up to another level. It was a pretty big factor in my decision-making but not the only one,” Chapman said. 

“For example, I really like that there’s a development team and I think UAE Team ADQ were on the front foot there compared to some of the other women’s teams. They established a development team early on and now you see lots of women’s teams following suit. I think it’s necessary to have that opportunity to learn from other riders so that the younger athletes are not just thrown into the deep end straight away, and so it’s more of a steady progression for young talent,” she added.

As one of the most valued and respected riders in the peloton, Chapman will add depth and power to UAE Team ADQ. A former national road champion, she has experience in the Grand Tours and the Spring Classics and played a vital role in Longo Borghini’s Giro d’Italia Women victory earlier this year. Chapman is a rider who can race consistently from January to October, helping her teammates but also striving for her own success and improvements. 

“At the end of the day, cycling is a team sport and women’s cycling is becoming more and more professional and domestiques are becoming more valued from the outside world. A team win feels infinitely better than a couple of riders getting in the top ten or top twenty. It can feel nice on a personal level to do well but some of the best races I’ve ever had are when I’ve been able to set up a teammate for the win and then it just trickles down to all the riders and staff, who are all happy. That’s what we’re all here for, winning races and I hope that I can bring that vibe to the team,” she said when explaining her thoughts on what success means for a team.

While teamwork is a key element of Chapman’s profile, the Australian also wants to improve her personal capabilities as a rider and believes that UAE Team ADQ can take her to the next level over the next two seasons as she looks to dovetail chasing the team’s overall goals and her own ambitions. 

“I want to be able to get the best out of myself. The interest that the team has shown in improving my time trial has been really encouraging because that’s always been something that I’ve known I can be good at. That’s another part of the reason I wanted to come to the team, because of the superior equipment. You can see that in the results in the peloton, especially in the men’s team with regards to time trialing, so that’s really exciting to have new things and new goals this late into my career. Even from these first conversations with the team, I already feel that there was a sense that the team want to help me improve. It feels like I’ve got a new lease of motivation,” she added. 

Over the coming weeks and months, Chapman and the team management will formulate the perfect race calendar for 2025 that helps deliver the best results possible for both the rider and the team. Even though next season is a few months away, Chapman is excited about the idea of forming new goals, with her eye on the Spring Classics and a possible debut in the Tour de France Femmes. 

“I’d certainly would like to set up my calendar so that I can perform in the early season races. Strade Bianche is a really big goal for me personally because it’s a race that suits my characteristics as a rider. And of course, Elisa has won the race before so I’m really motivated to show up for those early season races in the Spring and the Ardennes. Whether that makes my early season programme look different, I don’t know, but that would be my preference.  I want to also contribute in all the Grand Tours as I think I thrive in a situation where it’s racing day after day. The Tour de France would be the next big goal,” she said.

UAE Team ADQ are delighted to welcome Chapman to the team and is excited for the coming years as the team lays down important goals and targets.

“We are delighted to welcome a respected and experienced athlete like Brodie Chapman to the UAE Team ADQ,” said Melissa Moncada, the president and head of the team.

“Brodie has so many incredible qualities both on and off the bike and from our initial discussions it was clear that she would be an excellent fit for the team. She brings so much experience and passion to professional cycling through her dedication and quality as a bike rider, and there is no doubt that she will strengthen our WorldTour team and inspire our development riders towards great success.”