More confusion: Trofeo Alfredo Binda invites five continental teams
The confusion in the women's peloton over the new UCI rule that Women's WorldTour races are, in principle, no longer allowed to invite continental teams from January 1, 2026, has only grown. This weekend, the Trofeo Alfredo Binda announced that no fewer than five continental teams have been invited for the race on March 15.
The five continental teams in question are Vini Fantini-BePink, Aromitalia Vaiano, Top Girls Fassa Bortolo, Team Mendelspeck E-Work, and Isolmant-Premac-Vittoria, who have received wildcards alongside all fourteen WorldTour teams and five ProTeams.
Technically, that is not allowed. Because the UCI wants to align the structure of the women's races with that of the men's, Women's WorldTour races are no longer permitted to invite continental teams starting this year, unless fewer than fifteen teams start the race. With nineteen WorldTeams and ProTeams set to start in Italy, this is not the case.
The chance that a WorldTour race can invite a continental team under the new UCI rules is virtually zero. With a starting obligation and a WorldTour peloton made up of fourteen teams plus six ProTeams, there are often more than fifteen teams at the start. The new rule has also attracted a lot of criticism for the UCI in recent months.
Yet, last week three continental teams already lined up at the start of the UAE Tour Women. An inquiry with RCS, the organization behind the UAE Tour Women, revealed that they still plan to ‘simply’ invite continental teams in 2026. Meanwhile, for example, Flanders Classics is sticking for now to just WorldTour teams and ProTeams.
Should we see the action of the UAE Tour Women as just a rebellious move by RCS? Apparently not, as was clear last weekend. The Trofeo Alfredo Binda, after all, is not part of RCS Sport. Now we await official communication from the UCI.
