Ceratizit–WNT Pro Cycling (UCI code WNT) is a professional women's cycling team, based in Kempten, Germany, which competes in elite road bicycle racing events such as the UCI Women's World Tour.
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| Team information | |
|---|---|
| UCI code | WNT |
| Registered |
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| Founded | 2014 |
| Discipline(s) |
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| Status | UK National (2014–2016) UCI Women's Team (2017–2019) UCI Women's Continental Team (2020–present) |
| Bicycles | Orbea |
| Website | Team home page |
| Key personnel | |
| General manager | Claude Sun |
| Team manager(s) | Dirk Baldinger Carmen Small |
| Team name history | |
2014–2016 2017 2018–2019 2020– | Team WNT Team WNT Pro Cycling WNT–Rotor Pro Cycling Ceratizit–WNT Pro Cycling |
History
editThe team was founded in 2014 as an amateur club team in Sheffield / UK competing in regional and national races with the occasional UCI level race. After three years the team was transformed from an amateur team into a professional UCI team, and is invited to compete in major races all over Europe. The team itself no longer consists purely of British riders. Since 2019 the team includes women of seven different countries (Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, France and Canada) giving it an even greater international flavour. 2019 saw a big expansion and inclusion of high-level riders into the team roster such as Kirsten Wild, Lisa Brennauer and Ane Santesteban. Due this expansion the team made the step-up into the top 10 of the UCI-ranking, with a ranking of 7th place. In 2020 the team signed Maria Giulia Confalonieri of Italy and Julie Leth of Denmark, both double European Champions.
2017
editAhead of the 2017 season, WNT made another leap in the team's progression by applying for a UCI Women's team licence, with former Scottish Cycling head coach Graeme Herd as their directeur sportif.[1][2] Expanding its roster outside the UK and Ireland, gaining Austrian Anna Badegruber and Luxembourger Elise Maes from Austrian team Vitalogic Astrokalb Radunion Nö as it stepped away from its UCI Women licence in 2017.[3][4][5]
The team won its first professional race in its first outing as a UCI team in March 2017, on stage 4 of Setmana Ciclista Valenciana when Irish Champion Lydia Boylan soloed to victory. The team's second UCI victory came at the Lotto Thüringen Ladies Tour on stage 3, when Hayley Simmonds attacked in the closing kilometres, taking a solo victory of over a minute, and consequently moved into the yellow jersey. Simmonds finished 3rd place on general classification behind Lisa Brennauer.
At the end of 2017, the team's service course moved from the UK to Reutte, Austria, the hometown of WNT's parent company, Ceratizit, although the team's address registered with the Union Cycliste Internationale was still located in Sheffield.[6][7]
2018
edit2018 saw a further internationalisation of the roster, with the additions of German Lea Lin Teutenberg and Dutchwoman Aafke Soet.[8][9] Spanish bicycle component manufacturer, Rotor signed onto Team WNT as a second naming sponsor, setting the team to be the first to race full-time on hydraulic shifting and braking groupset.[10] WNT-Rotor took on a greater Spanish influence with its switch from long time frame partner Specialized to Orbea. The team also joined as one of five UCI women's teams to transition to disc brakes in 2018, moving from its already new hydraulic Rotor rim brake groupset to debut the disc brake version at Dwars door Vlaanderen.[11]
Shortly after the team completed Setmana Ciclista Valenciana, it was announced that Graeme Herd would leave the team immediately, with Dirk Baldinger taking up Herd's role as DS.[12] Former Cervélo–Bigla Pro Cycling rider, Canadian Gabrielle Pilote-Fortin was a late signing for 2018 at the end of March.[13]
Half the team's then ten rider roster were selected to compete on the road and track at the 2018 Commonwealth Games; for Northern Ireland, Lydia Boylan, for Wales, Hayley Jones, for Scotland, Eileen Roe, and for England Melissa Lowther and Hayley Simmonds. While Melissa Lowther had been selected for both the time trial and road race, but due to an administrative error by Team England, Lowther was barred from starting the individual time trial.[14] Hayley Simmonds earned a bronze medal in the Commonwealth Games individual time trial, behind recent ITT world championship medallist Katrin Garfoot and former time trial world champion Linda Villumsen.[15]
Aafke Soet earned WNT Rotor's first win of the 2018 season at the start of April by winning the last stage of the Healthy Ageing Tour in solo breakaway, the victory was also her first-ever elite-level win.[16] Soet would back up that road race win at her next race appearance, with the fastest time in the time trial event at Omloop van Borsele.
2019
editThe Season 2019 started very successfully for the WNT-ROTOR Pro Cycling Team. After wins at the Six Days in Bremen (Germany) on the track the new team member Clara Koppenburg won stage 3 of the Seltmana Ciclista Valenciana and took over the General Classification jersey. The team defended this jersey on stage 4 and also won the team classification. One-week later Kirsten Wild and Lisa Brennauer won in total 5 medals at the Track World Championships in Pruszków, Poland; Wild won gold in the Madison and omnium, Silver in the scratch race and Bronze in the points race, while Brennauer won a silver medal in the individual pursuit and a new German record).
The team won its first UCI Women's World Tour race at Driedaagse Brugge-De Panne with Kirsten Wild who won the bunch sprint after a big lead out from Lisa Brennauer. Three days later, Kirsten Wild won Gent–Wevelgem, becoming the first rider to win the Belgian spring classic twice.
In total the team amassed 15 victories in road racing during the 2019 season with four different riders. Kathrin Hammes won the overall classification of the Lotto Thüringen Ladies Tour after being in the breakaway on stage 1. The team helped defended the yellow, where Kathrin was able to win her home tour by 11 seconds.
On 28 November 2019, the team announced that the CERATIZIT Group, who are the parent company of WNT would be joining as title sponsor of the team.
Team roster
edit- As of 18 August 2024.[17]
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Major wins
edit- 2017
- Stage 4 Semana Ciclista Valenciana, Lydia Boylan
- Stage 3 Thüringen Rundfahrt der Frauen, Hayley Simmonds
- Round 2 Stoke-on-Trent Tour Series, Katie Archibald
- Round 6 Bath Tour Series, Eileen Roe
- Round 7 Motherwell Tour Series, Eileen Roe
- Round 8 Team Time Trial, Stevenage Tour Series, Katie Archibald, Emily Kay, Keira McVitty, Gabriella Shaw, Lydia Boylan
- 2018
- Stage 5 Healthy Ageing Tour, Aafke Soet
- Omloop van Borsele Time Trial, Aafke Soet
Young rider classification Emakumeen Euskal Bira, Aafke Soet
- 2019
Overall Setmana Ciclista Valenciana, Clara Koppenburg
- Stage 3, Clara Koppenburg
- 1st
Three Days of De Panne, Kirsten Wild - 1st Gent–Wevelgem, Kirsten Wild
- Stages 3 & 5 Healthy Ageing Tour, Kirsten Wild
- Stage 4b Healthy Ageing Tour, Lisa Brennauer
Overall Festival Elsy Jacobs, Lisa Brennauer
Points classification, Lisa Brennauer- Stage 2, Lisa Brennauer
- Basque rider classification Emakumeen Euskal Bira, Ane Santesteban
- Overall Thüringen Rundfahrt der Frauen, Kathrin Hammes
- Stages 1 & 2 Tour de Bretagne Féminin, Kirsten Wild
- Overall Madrid Challenge by La Vuelta Lisa Brennauer
- Stage 1 (ITT), Lisa Brennauer
- 2022
- Stage 5 Bretagne Ladies Tour, Marta Lach
- Stage 2 Tour of Uppsala, Hanna Nilsson
- Stage 1 Giro della Toscana Int. Femminile, Martina Fidanza
- Overall Tour de la Semois, Maria Giulia Confalonieri
- Stage 3 Tour de Romandie, Marta Lach
- 2023
- Women Cycling Pro Costa De Almería, Arianna Fidanza
- Overall Tour de Normandie, Cédrine Kerbaol
- Stage 2, Cédrine Kerbaol
- Ronde de Mouscron, Martina Fidanza
- Stage 1 Bretagne Ladies Tour, Marta Lach
- Ronde van Honselersdijk, Mylene de Zoete
- Prologue Giro Toscana Int. Femminile, Franziska Brauss
Young rider classification Tour de France, Cédrine Kerbaol- GP Fourmies Women, Marta Lach
- Grisette Grand Prix de Wallonie, Marta Lach
- Stage 1 Tour of Chongming Island, Mylene de Zoete
- 2024
- Vuelta a la Comunitat Valenciana Feminas, Cédrine Kerbaol
- Stage 2 Tour de Normandie, Sandra Alonso
- CERATIZIT Festival Elsy Jacobs à Garnich, Marta Lach
- CERATIZIT Festival Elsy Jacobs à Luxembourg, Marta Lach
- Durango-Durango Emakumeen Saria, Cédrine Kerbaol
- GP Mazda Schelkens, Arianna Fidanza
- Dwars door de Westhoek, Kathrin Schweinberger
- Stages 2 & 3 Thüringen Ladies Tour, Arianna Fidanza
- Stage 6 Thüringen Ladies Tour, Sandra Alonso
- Stage 6 Tour de France, Cédrine Kerbaol
National, European and World Championships
edit- 2015
Irish Road Race, Lydia Boylan- 2016
- Irish Road Race, Lydia Boylan
- 2017
British Track (Individual pursuit), Katie Archibald- British Track (Points race), Katie Archibald
- British Track (Scratch race), Katie Archibald
- British Track (Omnium), Katie Archibald
- British Criterium, Katie Archibald
World Track (Omnium), Katie Archibald- Irish Road Race, Lydia Boylan
- Irish Track (Scratch race), Lydia Boylan
European Track (Individual pursuit), Katie Archibald- European Track (Omnium), Katie Archibald
- 2018
- Irish Track (Omnium), Lydia Boylan
- European U23 Time Trial, Aafke Soet
- Irish Track (Scratch Race), Lydia Boylan
- 2019
- World Track (Omnium), Kirsten Wild
- World Track (Madison), Kirsten Wild
- European Track (Omnium), Kirsten Wild
- European Track (Elimination Race), Kirsten Wild
- European Track (Individual Pursuit), Franziska Brausse
- European Track (U23 Individual Pursuit), Franziska Brausse
German Road Race, Lisa Brennauer- German Track (Madison), Franziska Brausse
- German Track (Madison), Lin Teutenberg
- German Track (Omnium), Franziska Brausse
- German Track (Team Pursuit), Franziska Brausse
- German Track (Individual Pursuit), Franziska Brausse
- 2020
- World Track (Madison), Kirsten Wild
- World Track (Scratch), Kirsten Wild
Denmark Track (Omnium), Julie Leth- German Road Race, Lisa Brennauer
- European Team Time Trial, Lisa Brennauer
- Denmark Track (Individual Sprint), Julie Leth
- European U23 Track (Individual pursuit), Franziska Brauße
- 2021
- German Time Trial, Lisa Brennauer
- German Road Race, Lisa Brennauer
Olympic Games Track (Team pursuit), Franziska Brauße- Olympic Games Track (Team pursuit), Lisa Brennauer
- World Mixed Team Time Trial, Lisa Brennauer
- European (Individual pursuit), Lisa Brennauer
- European (Team pursuit), Lisa Brennauer
- European (Team pursuit),Franziska Brauße
- World Track (Madison), Kirsten Wild
- World Track (Team pursuit), Lisa Brennauer
- World Track (Team pursuit), Franziska Brauße
- World Track (Individual pursuit), Lisa Brennauer
- 2022
- German Time Trial, Lisa Brennauer
Austria Track (Omnium), Kathrin Schweinberger- Austria Track (Madison), Kathrin Schweinberger
- Austria Track (Points race), Kathrin Schweinberger
- Austria Track (Scratch race), Kathrin Schweinberger
- World Track (Individual pursuit), Franziska Brauße
- World Track (Team pursuit), Martina Fidanza
- World Track (Scratch race), Martina Fidanza
- 2023
Luxembourg U23 Time Trial, Nina Berton
France Time Trial, Cédrine Kerbaol
- 2024
Poland Time Trial, Marta Jaskulska
References
edit- ^ "Team WNT apply for UCI Licence for 2017 season". The Bike Comes First. 27 September 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- ^ "Team WNT has appointed Graeme Herd as Director Sportif". WNT Rotor. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- ^ Arthurs-Brennan, Michelle (9 January 2017). "Team WNT Pro Cycling Announce Roster & Gain UCI License". Total Women's Cycling. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- ^ "Austrian all-rounder adds more international flavour to Team WNT". WNT Rotor. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- ^ "Team WNT goes home for latest signing". WNT Rotor. 24 October 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- ^ Rogers, Owen (28 September 2018). "Team WNT-Rotor cuts British ties". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
- ^ "WNT Rotor Pro Cycling Team". Union Cycliste Internationale. 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
- ^ O'Shea, Sadhbh (15 February 2018). "Lea Lin Teutenberg: Carrying on an iconic family name in pro cycling". Cycling News. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- ^ "Former European Junior Time-Trial Champion signs for 2018". WNT Rotor. 26 September 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- ^ Robinson, Joe (22 November 2017). "WNT-Rotor women's team to be testing ground for Rotor Uno groupset". Cyclist. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- ^ "WNT – ROTOR Pro Cycling". Facebook. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- ^ "Team News: Dirk Baldinger Joins WNT as DS". Velo UK. 28 February 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- ^ Tremblay, Philippe (28 March 2018). "Gabrielle Pilote-Fortin lands last minute gig with WNT-Rotor Pro Cycling". Canadian Cycling Magazine. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- ^ "Team England statement – Melissa Lowther". Team England. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- ^ Wynn, Nigel (10 April 2018). "Harry Tanfield and Hayley Simmonds claim silver and bronze in Commonwealth Games time trial". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- ^ "UNO victory for Aafke Soet after a sensational performance". WNT Rotor. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- ^ "CERATIZIT - WNT PRO CYCLING TEAM". procyclingstats.com. procyclingstats. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
