Five African riders named in women's World Cycling Centre team and former pro becomes head coach as UCI builds on Rwanda World Championships legacy

The 2026 roster for the UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC) team was confirmed this week, with five new African riders and one Chilean rider joining a women's Continental outfit aimed at creating opportunities for riders from underrepresented nations.

The UCI has also appointed a new coach for the team, with Italy's Valentina Scandolara set to head up the project in 2026, who rode for teams including Orica-AIS and Team TIBCO-SVB during her time as a pro.

The WCC team, which the UCI has run since 2018, has been the home of riders like Teniel Campbell, Marlen Reusser, Juliana Londoño and even reigning World Champion Magdeleine Vallieres, as the governing body aims to provide a pathway for riders from all over the world.

This year, the team is welcoming six new riders and retaining four existing names to create a 10-strong team. Of the six new arrivals, five come from nations across Africa, as the UCI looks to build the legacy from the first African Road World Championships in Rwanda last year.

Rwanda's Jazilla Mwamikazi is one of the new riders, having completed a camp in France with the UCI last summer, before going on to represent the home nation in Kigali, her second World Championships after also riding in Glasgow 2023.

New signings Georgette Vignonfodo (Benin), Serkalen Taye Watango (Congo) and Lucie de Marigny-Lagesse (Mauritius) all also rode in the World Championships in Kigali last year, whilst the fifth new arrival from Africa is Algeria's Nesrine Houili, who is making her way back to the European peloton after a stint with Canyon-SRAM Generation in 2023.

Although African cycling has been a focal point for the UCI under David Lappartient's presidency, the WCC team hosts riders from all around the world. Colombia's Juliana Londoño is one of their most successful recent graduates from South America, going on to ride for Picnic PostNL, and this year the team's youngest rider will be 18-year-old Florencia Monsalvez from Chile.

The six new signings will join four continuing riders: Yulduz Hashimi (Afghanistan), Gabriela Lopez (Colombia), Anna Kolyzhuk (Ukraine) and Janice Stettler (Switzerland).

Last year, the WCC competed in a busy calendar of UCI and non-UCI events, including the Tour de l'Avenir Femmes and two of the end-of-season Italian Classics.

Headed up by Scandolara, the team can rely on her wealth of experience as a pro, but also her background in coaching and developing riders, having set up the Down Under Academy to give riders from Australia and New Zealand a base in Italy three years.

"I had the pleasure of leading the WCC Team last year at the Tour de Charente-Maritime Féminin in France, and it was enriching to hear their stories. It’s a unique project that I’m really happy to be part of. And I’ve always liked passing on my passion to other people," Scandolara said.

"I’m looking forward to seeing them progress. It’s very motivating to work with riders who don’t yet have a lot of European experience, because they’re like sponges and you can make a big difference in their progress.

"As I’ve seen with the Down Under Cycling Academy riders, real progress already shows after the first weeks. That really motivates me."