UAE Team L’IMAD is delighted to announce the signing of Quinty Schoens, who will join the team from the 2027 season on a two-year contract.
For the Dutch rider, the move represents a major milestone in an extraordinary sporting journey. Schoens will make her WorldTour debut with UAE Team L’IMAD, just a few years after making the transition from professional triathlon to road cycling.
Now based in Urmond, in the south of the Netherlands, Schoens discovered cycling as part of her rehabilitation after suffering a back injury at the age of eight while practising gymnastics. Cycling eventually became part of her path towards a professional career in triathlon, which she pursued until the age of 22.
When an injury forced her to stop competing in triathlon, she never imagined that another professional sporting career would follow. Her progression in cycling has since taken her all the way to one of the world’s leading women’s teams.
“I could never imagine having another professional sport career,” Schoens says. “So that I could work all my way up to UAE Team L’IMAD is a dream come true for me, after being in professional sport simply my whole life.”
Her cycling career has already included some memorable experiences and strong performances in stage races. Among her highlights are eighth overall at the Tour des Pyrénées, sixth overall at the Volta a Catalunya and 22nd on Mont Ventoux at the last Tour de France Femmes.
The Tour de France has also played a special role in her development. Schoens experienced the first edition of the women’s Tour in 2022, when she was still making the transition from triathlon to cycling, and returned to the race in 2026.
“Riding the first ever Tour de France in 2022, when I had just started cycling as a triathlete, was a memory that I will never forget,” she explains. “Together with the Tour this year, the amount of people cheering for you along the road is just something special, especially on Mont Ventoux.”
Her results have also helped highlight one of her key qualities: her ability to perform on long climbs. The Tourmalet, La Molina and Mont Ventoux are among the climbs where Schoens feels most at home.
“The harder the races, the better. The longer the climbs, the better,” she says. “But riding the Amstel Gold Race over my home roads will always give me a special feeling.”
Her arrival at UAE Team L’IMAD will also see her take on a role she is particularly passionate about: being a reliable teammate and one of the team’s strongest domestiques.
“I’m a very good team player. I’m always going 100% for the team result and the task that I’m given, and I feel joy when we succeed through that team effort,” Schoens explains.
This commitment to the team was one of the reasons she chose UAE Team L’IMAD as the next step in her career.
“I’m convinced that I still have so much room to improve as a cyclist, not only on long, hard races but also in being the best domestique and teammate I can be, to get the best possible team result. The support system around this team is just one of the best you can have, and I think it will make me the best version I can be.”
For Schoens, the move is therefore not only about reaching the WorldTour but also about continuing to learn and develop alongside some of the world’s best riders.
“A lot will be new for me, so I’m excited to see what I can learn from all the women in the team,” she says. “I want to evolve into the best domestique for the girls that I can be.”
Her individual development will focus particularly on her climbing. She wants to be able to ride at an even higher tempo on long ascents while also becoming more explosive when the pace increases at the beginning of climbs, allowing her to support her teammates at crucial moments.
Melissa Moncada, President of UAE Team L’IMAD, welcomes Schoens to the team and believes her story and characteristics make her an important addition to the roster.
“Quinty is a rider whose journey is particularly inspiring. To move from gymnastics to professional triathlon and then successfully build a second professional career in cycling requires an extraordinary level of determination, discipline and resilience. She has already shown that she has the qualities to compete in demanding stage races and on long climbs, but what impressed us most is her attitude towards the team”.
Away from cycling, Schoens has another long-standing passion: her own nail salon, which she has run for almost ten years. It gives her the opportunity to be creative and maintain an important balance alongside her sporting career.
As a person, she describes herself as someone who always wants the best for others and makes an effort to ensure the people around her feel seen, heard and safe.
“I’m always real and straightforward, but of course with the best intentions, so we can all be the best version of ourselves, on and off the bike.”
From a childhood injury that led her towards sport, to a professional triathlon career and then an unexpected second chapter in cycling, Quinty Schoens has built her journey step by step. In 2027, that journey will reach a new level with her first WorldTour opportunity at UAE Team L’IMAD.
