2023 UCI Women's World Tour
The 2023 UCI Women's World Tour was a competition that included twenty-seven road cycling events throughout the 2023 women's cycling season. It was the eighth edition of the UCI Women's World Tour, the ranking system launched by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) in 2016. The competition began with the Women's Tour Down Under from 15 to 17 January, and finished with the Tour of Guangxi on 17 October.[1]
| Eighth edition of the UCI Women's World Tour | |
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 15 January – 17 October 2023 |
| Location | |
| Races | 27 |
| Champions | |
| Individual champion | Demi Vollering (SD Worx) |
| Teams' champion | SD Worx |
Dutch rider Demi Vollering (SD Worx) won the individual classification with 4891.86 points, leading the classification for the majority of the season. She had seven overall victories, including winning all three Ardennes classics, as well as the second edition of Tour de France Femmes.[2]
Second place went to Belgian rider Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx), with 2735 points, over 2000 points behind Vollering. She won three events including the Tour of Flanders. Third place was taken by Swiss rider Marlen Reusser (SD Worx) with 2512.86 points, after winning three events. Sixteen different riders won races, with five riders holding the individual classification lead during the season.[2]
As in previous years, the teams classification was won by SD Worx – their seventh win in eight seasons, with the top three places in the overall classification all being SD Worx riders. The youth classification was won by Dutch rider Shirin van Anrooij (Lidl–Trek), who finished 11th in the individual classification.[2]
Events
The race calendar for the 2023 season was announced in June 2022,[3] with thirty races initially scheduled,[4] up from twenty-three that were held in 2022. The calendar featured several new races including the Women's Tour Down Under, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and La Vuelta Femenina. Races outside Europe returned for the first time since 2020, with two races in Australia, two races in China and one race in the United Arab Emirates.[1]
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Race cancellations
In January, the Vårgårda Cykelklubb ceased the organisation of the Vårgårda West Sweden races due to economic reasons,[5] reducing the calendar to twenty-eight races. In March, SweetSpot announced that the 2023 edition of The Women's Tour had been cancelled due to financial reasons (20% higher costs than 2022, and loss of key sponsors). This reduced the calendar to twenty-seven races.[6]
Changes for 2023
The number of riders allowed per team was changed – stage races longer than five stages had seven riders and two team support vehicles. For shorter events, organisers were able to decide whether to have six or seven riders per team.[1]
The minimum salary per rider was increased, with an additional category for new professional ("neo-pro") riders.[7]
2023 UCI Women's WorldTeams
The fifteen Women's WorldTeams were automatically invited to compete in events, with the two best 2022 UCI Women's Continental Teams (Ceratizit–WNT Pro Cycling and Lifeplus Wahoo) also invited automatically. Other Continental women's teams were invited by the organisers of each race.[1]
References
- Frattini, Kirsten (6 January 2023). "Women's WorldTour – The definitive guide for 2023". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- "Road Rankings". www.uci.org. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
- Price, Matilda (17 June 2022). "Four events added to Women's WorldTour calendar for 2023". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- "From Australia to China, the rendezvous of the 2023 UCI Women's WorldTour". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. 11 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- Weislo, Laura (25 January 2023). "Women's WorldTour shrinks as West Sweden Vårgårda races cancelled". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- Bull, Nick (31 March 2023). "Women's Tour 2023 postponed". The Women's Tour. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
- Frattini, Kirsten (24 October 2022). "Development a key focus in sweeping changes to 2023 Women's WorldTour". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 26 January 2023.