The world’s top female professional cyclists will compete in 17 events across Europe, the United States and China during the new 2016 UCI Women’s WorldTour, which was launched this week.
The tour, which replaces the existing Road World Cup, will kick off with the Strade Bianche in Italy in March and wraps up with the La Madrid Challenge by La Vuelta in September.
UCI vice-president and women’s commission chair Tracey Gaudry described the initiative as an important moment for women’s cycling.
“The UCI Women’s WorldTour will present a season-long calendar of events that will help build a strong narrative around our sport.”
She said the mix of one-day classics and stage races, as well as the overall battle for tour rankings, would create a premier product through which to draw new fans to the sport.
The events represent 35 days of competition, including four stage races.
The racing calendar for the 2016 UCI Women’s WorldTour is as follows:
March 5: Strade Bianche (Italy)
March 12: Women’s WorldTour Ronde van Drenthe (Netherlands)
March 20: Trofeo Alfredo Binda – Comune di Cittiglio (Italy)
March 27: Gent-Wevelgem In Flanders Fields (Belgium)
April 3: Tour of Flandres (Belgium)
April 20: La Flèche Wallonne Féminine (Belgium)
May 6 to 8: Tour of Chongming Island (People’s Republic of China)
May 19 to 22: Amgen Tour of California (USA)
June 5: Philadelphia International Cycling Classic (USA)
June 15 to 19: Aviva Womens Tour (Great Britain)
July 1 to 10: Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile (Italy)
July 24: La Course by Le Tour de France (France)
July 30: Prudential Ride London (Great Britain)
August 19: Crescent Vargarda UCI Women’s WorldTour (Sweden)
August 21: Crescent Vargarda UCI Women’s WorldTour TTT (Sweden)
August 27: GP de Plouay-Bretagne (France)
September 11: La Madrid Challenge By La Vuelta (Spain)
