The UCI has announced the list of professional teams registering for the 2021 season with a number of changes across the WorldTour and ProTeams coming to light among the 37-team list.
The headline news sees Circus-Wanty Gobert in place of the folding CCC Team, with their WorldTour status currently under review by the UCI. NTT Pro Cycling are not included on the list as their sponsor search continues, while Eolo-Kometa – run by Alberto Contador and Ivan Basso – and Kern Pharma have both applied for ProTeam status.
18 WorldTour teams head the 2021 list, with NTT Pro Cycling not included. Team boss Doug Ryder said on Thursday that they are "piecing the puzzle together" to be racing next year after Japanese tech company NTT did not extend their sponsorship agreement.
"The UCI would like to specify that teams that do not appear on this list still have the possibility to finalise their applications before the end of the registration procedure, which will be determined by the completion of the License Commission hearings, anticipated for December," the UCI noted in a statement.
Elsewhere, there are a number of name changes around the peloton. AG2R La Mondiale will be known as AG2R Citröen, as was already announced, while Bahrain McLaren will be known as Bahrain Victorious after the car manufacturer withdrew sponsorship.
Mitchelton-Scott are on the list as GreenEdge Cycling, the name of the team's management company, while EF Pro Cycling remain the same despite rumours of Japanese construction company Nippo coming on board. The company is not included in ProTeam Delko One Provence, who they sponsored in 2020.
At ProTeam level, 19 teams have applied. Eolo-Kometa – this season a Continental team known as Kometa-Xstra – are hoping to make the step up. The team, which recently hired Sean Yates as head of performance, is run by ex-pros Contador and Basso and welcome Italian broadband operator Eolo – a sponsor of several RCS Sport races – aboard for 2021.
Spanish Continental team Kern Pharma have also applied for a place. The squad was founded in 2020 as a parent team for the long-running Lizarte amateur squad, with ex-pro Juanjo Oroz on board as directeur sportif.
Danish squad Riwal Securitas are missing from the list of teams applying for ProTeam status, though earlier this week reports emerged that the team, which faces financial troubles, had requested an application deadline delay.
Elsewhere, Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec are listed simply as Sidermec, after reports in Italian media that the toy company had stepped away after 14 years as a title or co-sponsor. B&B Hotels-Vital Concept are named as B&B Hotels-Klub Glaz as farm equipment supplier Vital Concept move on, while Caja Rural-Seguros RGA are listed as Caja Rural with the bank's insurance subsidiary seemingly out for 2021.
Men's teams applying for registration as a UCI WorldTeam
AG2R Citröen Team
Astana Pro Team
Bahrain Victorious
Bora-Hansgrohe
Circus-Wanty Gobert (Currently reviewed by the UCI)
Cofidis
Deceuninck-QuickStep
EF Pro Cycling
GreenEdge Cycling
Groupama-FDJ
Ineos Grenadiers
Israel Start–Up Nation
Jumbo–Visma
Lotto Soudal
Movistar Team
Team Sunweb
Trek–Segafredo
UAE Team Emirates
Men's teams applying for registration as a UCI ProTeam
Alpecin-Fenix
B&B Hotels-Klub Glaz
Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè
Bingoal Casino-Wallonie Bruxelles
Burgos-BH
Caja Rural
Delko One Provence
Eolo-Kometa Cycling Team
Equipo Kern Pharma
Euskaltel-Euskadi
Gazprom-Rusvelo
Rally Cycling
Sidermec
Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
Team Arkea-Samsic
Team Novo Nordisk
Total Direct Energie
Uno-X Pro Cycling Team
Vini Zabù-Brado-KTM
