New UAE women's team reveals 2022 jersey, riders and sponsor
The new look team is replacing the Alé-BTC-Ljubljana squad in the WorldTour
New look women's WorldTour squad UAE Team ADQ have revealed their roster, new jersey and sponsor for the 2022 season.
This new name is taking over from the Alé-BTC-Ljubljana team in the women's WorldTour, marking the investment of yet another male team sponsor into the women's side of the sport with UAE Team Emirates joining.
The sponsor, ADQ, is a growing sovereign wealth fund that is worth about $100 billion and is reportedly the United Arab Emirates' third largest investor.
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Looking at the squad for the new season, the team's line-up hasn't changed much at all with former world champion Marta Bastianelli leading the line along with Spanish champion Mavi García with seven others staying on.
There are six newcomers to the team too with UAE rider Safeeya Al Sayegh bringing the sponsors a home rider, junior world time trial champion Alena Ivanchenko is joined by fellow Russian Maria Novoloskaia.
Italians Sofia Bertizzolo and Erica Magnaldi also join with Swiss rider Linda Zanetti completing the list.
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The UCI confirmed that the team would be part of the women's WorldTour as part of six new teams joining the top division of the sport.
They will be without their star rider of 2021 in Swiss champion Marlen Reusser as she will be moving on to join Team SD Worx in the new year.
But this new team will be looking to grow as the women's WorldTour has expanded hugely, not just with teams but also races as the 2022 calendar currently includes 68 days of racing, thanks to the inclusion of multiple new stage races such as the Tour de France Femmes and the Battle of the North.
UAE Team Emirates principal, Mauro Gianetti, said when the team announced they would be making a women's squad: "We are pleased to announce that we are working to create a female team to compete on the world stage as part of the UAE ambition to develop cycling, in support of a global project that started back in 2017.
"Together with the Alé-BTC-Ljubljana Team we have found the right opportunity and the availability we were looking for and, in collaboration with the UCI, we are preparing all the necessary documents for the completion of the acquisition of the WorldTour licence starting from January 1, 2022.
"In the coming weeks we will have the definitive framework and we will be ready to present the project."
UAE Team ADQ 2022 squad
Marta Bastianelli (Ita)
Mavi García (Esp)
Safeeya al Sayegh (UAE)
Sofia Bertizzolo (Ita)
Maaike Boogaard (Ned)
Eugenia Bujak (Slo)
Alena Ivanchenko (Rus)
Erica Magnaldi (Ita)
Maria Novoloskaia (Rus)
Alessia Patuelli (Ita)
Ursa Pintar (Slo)
Laura Tomasi (Ita)
Anna Trevisi (Ita)
Sophie Wright (GBr)
Linda Zanetti (Sui)
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