Five countries join UCI Continental Circuits

The UCI completed the registration of 136 Continental Teams on Thursday, with five countries either being represented for the first time or returning to the Continental Circuits, namely Argentina, Paraguay, Kazakhstan, Singapore and Ethiopia.

The latter nation joins Algeria and South Africa on the UCI Africa Tour. The Ethiopian outfit, Marco Polo Cycling Team, is a Dutch structure that is very committed to the development of cycling. After being active in Asia, where it held a Chinese licence, the team has now chosen to operate from Ethiopia. In accordance with UCI regulations, the majority of the team’s riders will be Ethiopian.

Two countries in America join the ranks of nations with UCI Continental Teams. Paraguay is represented by Start Cycling Team-Atacama Flowery Desert, boasting a strong squad of 13 riders including road captain Ibon Zugasti who last year finished 9th in the Tour do Rio and Vuelta a Bolivia. In Argentina, the San Luis Somos Todos team is led by Jorge Alberto Giacinti, a former winner of the Tour de San Luis, and Daniel Diaz, a previous victor in the U23 Vuelta a Madrid.

Singapore will make its big debut in Asia with OCBC Singapore Continental Cycling Team, featuring a squad of twelve members, most of them promising young riders. Absent from the UCI Continental Circuit for four years, Kazakhstan returns with Continental Team Astana, the reserve squad of the UCI WorldTour team.

The record for the number of Continental Teams affiliated in a single country remains with the United States with 12 teams registered, an increase of two compared with 2011. France has doubled its quota from two teams to four. Denmark and Norway have followed a similar progression with each registering seven Continental Teams, up from four last year.

More teams are expected to be awarded the UCI Continental Team label by 31 January – applications are still being studied.