The Women’s WorldTour, which is set to begin in 2016, will see longer races, more varied racing and better coverage for the women’s peloton, according to an updated document from the UCI. There are still many details to iron out, such as which races will be involved, but this is the first major information released since the initial announcement was made earlier this year.
The WorldTour will replace the current World Cup system, which consists of 10 one-day races. The new series will take part over 30 race days with a mixture of one-day and stage races throughout the calendar. The UCI have not opened up the bidding process for race organisers, so the exact make-up of the calendar is still unknown. However, it is expected that most of the current World Cup races will move over. Other races expected to make the cut are the Giro Rosa, Strade Bianche, La Course by La Tour and the Tour of California.
Under the new regulations, the maximum stage distance rises from 130 to 140 kilometres with the average stage distance jumping from 100 to 120 kilometres. Races are allowed to apply for special dispensation to have longer stages, as the Women’s Tour of Britain did earlier this season. Prize money is also set to rise for the WorldTour races.
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It won’t be until 2017 that we could see a similar tiered system like the one that the men’s teams have, with only the top teams competing on the WorldTour. For the first season, the UCI will take a reading of the rankings on January 10th – as they currently do for the World Cup. For one-day events, the top 20 teams will automatically gain a place, while it is only the top 15 for stage races. Organisers can then invite additional teams, including national squads.
As previously, teams for one-day races must consist of up to six riders and no fewer than four. For stage races, that becomes seven or eight with no fewer than five. The points available for the winning overall – in one-day or stage races - remains 120, and 25 points are available for the victor of stages and half stages. The leader of a race will get six points for every day in the lead, while the overall WorldTour leader will also earn six points for each round she retains that lead. Additionally, points will also be awarded for a young rider’s competition, with the top three from each race taking 6, 4 and 2 respectively.
Other changes, such as teams being registered with the UCI rather than their national federation, will come in 2017.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
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