The UCI announced Wednesday that SD Worx (formerly Boels Dolmans) has been awarded with a Women's WorldTour licence from 2021 to 2023. The powerful Dutch team, which is home to double world champion Anna van der Breggen, took the step-up after just being registered as a UCI team in 2020.
SD Worx will join the eight other top-tier WorldTeams in 2021.
Boels Dolmans applied for a WorldTour licence last year but were denied the status due to the financial requirements of their application. The team later signed a four-year deal with SD Worx, enabling a more stable financial footing to continue the team at the top level.
The team re-applied for a WorldTour licence this year, and after a review of their ethical, financial and administrative requirements, the Licence Commission has decided to award them a licence for 2021 to 2023, which is subject to compliance with the provisions for annual registration during the period, according to the UCI press release.
Women's WorldTeams 2021
Team SD Worx
Alè BTC Ljubljana Cipollini
Canyon-Sram Racing
FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
Greenedge Cycling
Liv Racing
Movistar Team Women
Team Sunweb
Trek-Segafredo
"The UCI is delighted by the arrival of a ninth UCI Women’s WorldTeam [SD Worx] in addition to the eight existing ones, despite the difficult international health and economic situation," read the UCI press release.
The benefits of becoming a WorldTour team are that the squad will be afforded guaranteed entry into all WorldTour races, but comes with significant responsibilities, which will bring the women's WorldTour in line with the men's peloton in terms of working conditions and minimum pay.
As of 2021, UCI Women’s WorldTeams will be required to increase the minimum salary for riders (not including prize money).
The salary will be €20,000 in 2021, €27,500 in 2022, and then, from 2023, the same as that paid to existing men’s UCI Professional Continental Teams.
Riders will also enjoy the following benefits:
- Maximum 75 days of racing a year (not including individual races and national team appearances)
- 30 days’ holidays (not including individual races and national team appearances)
- Sickness cover
- Maternity cover
- Pension savings scheme from 2022
- Other types of cover (hospitalisation and repatriation, accident, life, invalidity, etc)
