Hannah Ludwig will depart Canyon-SRAM having signed a contract with the new Uno-X women’s team in 2022. The German time trial specialist is looking forward to becoming one of the 'pioneers' of the team that is aiming to be part of the Women's WorldTour in its first season.
"Life is full of twist and turns - up's and down's – positive and negative surprises. That makes life so beautiful! Getting the chance of being one of the pioneers of this wonderful women cycling team project it’s such a beautiful turn. I feel excited and proud – let‘s do this together!" Ludwig said.
An Uno-X women's team will start racing next season under the management of ex-pro Lars Bak, with the squad hoping to join the top-tier of women's cycling next season.
Currently there are nine Women's WorldTour teams, but there is space for up to 15 for 2022. Newly founded squads such as Uno-X or Cofidis are now able to apply for a spot upon their foundation due to the amendment to Article 2.013.034 bis, which states:
“Licence applications from teams that do not meet the conditions of in article 2.13.034 bis may be considered, in 2021 only, if the number of teams holding a UCI WorldTeam licence for the following year, added to the applicant teams considered under article 2.13.034, is less than 15.
“If the number of licence applications from teams that do not meet the conditions of article 2.13.034, taking into account only those teams that fulfill the criteria set out in article 2.13.035 (administrative, financial, ethical and organisational), is greater than the number of licences available after the allocation of licences to the teams that meet the conditions of article 2.13.034, the licence commission will decide between them on the basis of the sporting criterion set out in article 2.13.042."
Ludwig, 21, is the fourth official signing to the new team. She is a two-time European U23 ITT Champion. She has spent the last three seasons racing with Canyon-SRAM and recently represented Germany in the road race at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
"Hannah is special, and she has shown strong interest in our project from the beginning. She has gotten to know Lars Bak quite well and we can't wait to start working with her. We are proud to attract riders of Hannah's calibre."
UNO-X has also announced signing Anne Dorthe Ysland and Mie Bjørndal Ottestad both from Norway, and Anniina Ahtosalo from Finland.
