New Veloconcept team makes UCI Women's WorldTour via invitation ranking

The new team of time trial world champion Amber Neben, Team Véloconcept Women, has been guaranteed invitations to the UCI Women's WorldTour events by virtue of their top 10 ranking in the UCI's 'Invitational Ranking', the team announced this week.

The top 20 teams in the Invitational Rankings are guaranteed entry into Women's World Tour one-day-races, and the top 15 for the top stage races. Boels Dolmans, which dominated the UCI Women's WorldTour last season with Megan Guarnier and won the Worlds road race with Amalie Dideriksen, led the rankings ahead of Wiggle High5 and Marianne Vos' new WM3 squad.

Team Véloconcept was 10th in the rankings, which are calculated by the UCI "based on a sport evaluation made by the UCI administration on the teams registered". The Danish team is part of Bjarne Riis and former Saxo Bank CEO Lars Seier's cycling project together with the men's Continental team.

"We have great ambitions for the team this season and the seasons to come. This year we are going to find our place among the other teams, and the women are going to learn to race like a team," Bjarne Riis said in a press release. "I am very excited for the start of the season, and I look forward to see them race for victory."

Neben heads up the team with compatriot Carmen Small, five Danish riders, two Swedes and one each from New Zealand, Israel, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

"It is really great that we now have a Danish team among the top 10 in the world and access to all the big races. Now it is up to us to show that we deserve to be here. But it is cool, and the riders are thrilled and really motivated," team manager Bo Handberg Madsen said.

"It is very important for the planning and the structure of the season. Now we are able to sit down in the training camp and make a plan and set goals for each rider. It gives a lot of peace for the team."

2017 UCI 'Invitational Ranking'

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1Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam4244pts
2Wiggle High52786Row 1 - Cell 3
3WM3 Pro Cycling Team2483Row 2 - Cell 3
4Team Sunweb2480Row 3 - Cell 3
5Canyon SRAM Racing1992Row 4 - Cell 3
6Orica Scott1867Row 5 - Cell 3
7Cervelo - Bigla Pro Cycling Team1684Row 6 - Cell 3
8Ale Cipollini1563Row 7 - Cell 3
9Cylance Pro Cycling1406Row 8 - Cell 3
10Team Veloconcept Women1013Row 9 - Cell 3
11Bepink Cogeas872Row 10 - Cell 3
12Hitec Products856Row 11 - Cell 3
13Lares - Waowdeals Women Cycling Team840Row 12 - Cell 3
14Lensworld - Kuota802Row 13 - Cell 3
15FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope784Row 14 - Cell 3
16BTC City Ljubljana754Row 15 - Cell 3
17Lotto Soudal Ladies646Row 16 - Cell 3
18Astana Women's Team610Row 17 - Cell 3
19Team Tibco - Silicon Valley Bank550Row 18 - Cell 3
20Servetto Giusta510Row 19 - Cell 3
21S.C. Michela Fanini497Row 20 - Cell 3
22Drops449Row 21 - Cell 3
23Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling Team401Row 22 - Cell 3
24Bizkaia - Durango346Row 23 - Cell 3
25Sho-Air Twenty20342Row 24 - Cell 3
26Parkhotel Valkenburg - Destil Cycling Team264Row 25 - Cell 3
27Aromitalia Vaiano215Row 26 - Cell 3
28SAS - MACOGEP174Row 27 - Cell 3
29Top Girls Fassa Bortolo131Row 28 - Cell 3
30Team Wnt Pro Cycling115Row 29 - Cell 3
31Sport Vlaanderen - Etixx107Row 30 - Cell 3
32Visit Dallas DNA Pro Cycling105Row 31 - Cell 3
33Rally Cycling96Row 32 - Cell 3
34China Chongming - Liv Pro Cycling65Row 33 - Cell 3
35Weber Shimano Ladies Power60Row 34 - Cell 3
36Colavita/Bianchi52Row 35 - Cell 3
37Hagens Berman / Supermint46Row 36 - Cell 3
38Giusfredi Bianchi43Row 37 - Cell 3
39Team Illuminate23Row 38 - Cell 3
40Lointek16Row 39 - Cell 3
41Minsk Cycling Club13Row 40 - Cell 3
41Valcar PBM13Row 41 - Cell 3