The UCI today announced a list of 33 women's teams registered as professional squads for 2013. For the first time, it also will require invitations for the top 20 teams to the World Cup events. Previously, those races were obligated to accept the top 15 pro teams plus the top five national teams.
The top five nations of the 2012 UCI rankings - The Netherlands, Germany, United States, Italy and Great Britain - will still be automatically invited to 1.1 and 2.1 events for 2013 along with the top 10 of the fictitious rankings.
The UCI will also roll out the new 2.HC ranking for women's stage races. The new rules for the three races granted 2.HC status will require the top 15 teams in the fictitious rankings to be invited.
Only three races have been given 2.HC status: The Exergy Tour, Internationale Thüringen Rundfahrt der Frauen and Premondiale Giro Toscana Int. Femminile - Memorial Michela Fanini.
The 'fictitious rankings' were calculated using the individual UCI points of the top four athletes from each team, plus the UCI points won at the 2012 UCI road world championships team time trial.
World and Olympic champion Marianne Vos and her Rabo Women's team lead the rankings, with Specialized-lululemon and Orica-AIS in second and third.
The American Optum and Tibco women's team made the top 15, but Exergy-Twenty16 landed outside the top 20 after the retirement of Olympic time trial champion Kristin Armstrong.
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