Key Takeaways:
– All current men’s and women’s WorldTour teams, as well as men’s ProTeams, will continue in 2025.
– UCI lists six initial teams for the newly introduced Women’s ProTeams category.
– Team naming changes expected for men’s teams, Lotto, Bingoal WB, and TDT Unibet among others.
– Lotto and Israel-Premier Tech, the top two ProTeams of 2024, gain automatic invites to WorldTour events.
– 2025 crucial for bottom-ranked WorldTour teams due to the three-year promotion/relegation cycle ending.
Cycling Calendar Set for 2025
The landscape of professional cycling will remain mostly unchanged come 2025, according to the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The governing body recently confirmed the registration of all current men’s and women’s WorldTour teams and men’s ProTeams for the upcoming season.
New Entrants in Women’s ProTeams
A significant highlight of their announcement was the registration of several women’s teams under a new category, Women’s ProTeams. Launched as of 2025, this category saw applicants such as Arkea B&B Hotels, Cofidis, EF Education-Oatly, Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi, St Michel Mavic Auber 93 and Volkerwessels secure their places. An additional team, Dutch team Winspace Orange Seal, received conditional registration and is expected to submit necessary documents by December 20, 2024, making a total of seven teams in Women’s ProTeams.
Shifting Names in Men’s Peloton
Despite the same teams carrying over to 2025, some name changes are expected in the men’s peloton. Lotto will drop Dstny and simply race under the name Lotto next year. Bingoal WB undergoes a similar makeover, rebranding to Wagner Bazin WB, while TDT Unibet will get a new identity – Unibet Tietema Rockets. Corratec-Vini Fantini assumes the name Toscana Factory Team Vini Fantini, and Polti sees its second naming sponsor switch from Kometa to Visit Malta.
An Exceptional Extension
One team that experienced some turbulence is Astana, dubbed for a significant sponsorship deal with Chinese carbon maker XDS. The team missed the October deadline for registration but received an extension to complete the paperwork by January 15, 2025.
Automatic Invitations to WorldTour Events
Additionally, the UCI confirmed Lotto and Israel-Premier Tech have earned auto-invites to all WorldTour events, as they ranked top two ProTeams in 2024. Uno-X Mobility also scored invitations to all one-day WorldTour races, coming in third.
Women’s teams EF Education-Oatly and Volkerwessels, too, secured auto-invites to all 2025’s WorldTour races, having ranked as the top two non-WorldTour teams in the 2024 UCI Women’s ranking.
A Crucial Year for Bottom-Ranked Teams
2025 will be pivotal for bottom-ranked WorldTour teams as this year concludes the three-year promotion/relegation cycle. A particular focus will be on XDS Astana, who underwent the largest league turnover by welcoming 13 new riders and bidding farewell to 14. Placed 21st in the combined 2023-2024 points tally and trailing 18th place Cofidis by over 5,000 points, the team shoulders high expectations next year under key players like Diego Ulissi, Fausto Masnada, Sergio Higuita, and Mike Teunissen.
Arkea-B&B Hotels will also face potential relegation fears, having been edged out of the top 18 by Lotto and Israel-Premier Tech’s strong performances. As the cycling fraternity gears up for 2025, the peloton promises high-stakes competition and riveting tales of endurance both on and off the saddle.