The International Cycling Union (UCI) has announced the list of 28 women’s teams registered for the 2011 season. The number is slightly up on last year’s total of 27, with some names disappearing but others coming in as the women’s sport builds up to the Olympic Games in London, 2012.
The list includes teams from 13 countries in three continents (Europe, North America and Asia).
Probably the biggest new name on the list is that of MCipollini-Giordana, sponsored by the bike company of mercurial former sprinter Mario Cipollini and the Italian bike clothing company. The team will be home to 2007, 2008 and 2009 World champions, Marta Bastianelli, Nicole Cooke and Tatiana Guderzo; if those three can properly combine their forces it should be a formidable formation.
The takeover of the Cervélo TestTeam by Garmin sees just five of last year’s superteam retained by the new Garmin-Cervélo team. The big names from last year have all found new homes elsewhere though, which should hopefully mean more teams will be fighting for the big races.
Diadora-Pasta Zara (formerly Safi-Pasta Zara) also has something of a makeover as it becomes the sister team to the men’s Geox-TMC team. A number of American riders, including Giro d’Italia winner Mara Abbott, means that the team is now US-registered.
Despite a slight personnel change, HTC-Highroad will, in all likelihood, be the team to beat this year.
According to the UCI: “The relevant National Federations implemented a rigorous registration procedure including, in particular, the requirement for each team to provide a bank guarantee, in this way enhancing the teams’ professionalism.”
The word “professionalism” is an interesting one to use here as, although the regulations require men’s ProTeam’s to pay each rider a minimum of €33,000 per year, there is no minimum wage in the women’s sport. Women’s teams are not required to pay riders anything at all, with many riders getting little more than travel expenses; very few women’s teams can actually afford to pay all of their riders a living wage.
The bank guarantee is required to be €20,000 or 15% of the total salaries for riders and staff, whichever is the greater; the same rule as is applied to men’s Continental status teams.
The UCI also credits the presence of World Cup races in Asia (Chongming) and Scandanavia (Open de Suede Vårgårda, road race and team time trial) for the presence of teams from those regions. In truth though, the China Chongming-Giant Pro Cycling team (previously just Giant Pro Cycling) has been in existence since 2006.
UCI Registered women’s teams 2011
AA Drink-Leontien.nl Cycling Team (Ned)
ABUS-Nutrixxion (Ger)
Alriksson Go:Green (Swe)
Asptt Dijon-Bourgogne (Fra)
Bizkaia-Durango (Esp)
China Chongming-Giant Pro Cycling (HKg)
Debabarrena-Gipuzkoa (Esp)
Diadora-Pasta Zara (USA)
Dolmans Landscaping Team (Ned)
Forno D'Asolo-Colavita (Ita)
Garmin-Cervélo (GBr)
Gauss (Ita)
Hitec Products-UCK (Nor)
HTC-Highroad Women (USA)
Juvederm-Specialized (Can)
Kleo Ladies Team (Ita)
Kuota Speed Kueens (Aut)
Lointek (Esp)
Lotto Honda Team (Bel)
Nederland Bloeit (Ned)
S.C. Michela Fanini Rox (Ita)
MCipollini-Giordana (Ita)
Team GSD Gestion (Fra)
Tibco-To The Top (USA)
Top Girls Fassa Bortolo (Ita)
Topsport Vlaanderen-Ridley 2012 (Bel)
Vaiano-Solaristech (Ita)
Vienne Futuroscope (Fra)