T-Mobile women number one

The T-Mobile women's team moved its way up the UCI rankings on the same day that its sponsor confirmed that it would honours its commitment through 2010, giving the team a huge morale boost.

The team has achieved a number of wins in recent weeks - Chantal Beltman won Sunday's World Cup Race in Sweden, Judtih Arndt took the overall victory in the Thüringen Rundfahrt, and the team racked up three stage wins at the Giro d'Italia Femminile in July.

"This is a big achievement for all concerned in the team," team manager Kristy Scrymgeour said on the team's website, t-mobile-team.com. "The team has steadily built up momentum and we are very happy with how it has all developed. Thanks to everyone involved."

"The team set out with the goal of being competitive and winning races, but we knew it would take time. We started this year with many new riders and new staff," adds Scrymgeour, "so we didn't expect to start with a bang. It takes a while for things to click into gear."

"We have been racing well since the beginning of the year, everybody has been working hard, and it is now that things are really coming together and we are getting results. We have been close to this all year, but now it is happening."