5 African riders named in girls's World Biking Centre workforce and former professional turns into head coach as UCI builds on Rwanda World Championships legacy

The 2026 roster for the UCI World Biking Centre (WCC) workforce was confirmed this week, with 5 new African riders and one Chilean rider becoming a member of a girls’s Continental outfit aimed toward creating alternatives for riders from underrepresented nations.

The UCI has additionally appointed a brand new coach for the workforce, with Italy’s Valentina Scandolara set to go up the venture in 2026, who rode for groups together with Orica-AIS and Workforce TIBCO-SVB throughout her time as a professional.

The WCC workforce, which the UCI has run since 2018, has been the house of riders like Teniel Campbell, Marlen Reusser, Juliana Londoño and even reigning World Champion Magdeleine Vallieres, because the governing physique goals to offer a pathway for riders from all around the world.

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This 12 months, the workforce is welcoming six new riders and retaining 4 current names to create a 10-strong workforce. Of the six new arrivals, 5 come from nations throughout Africa, because the UCI appears to construct the legacy from the primary African Street World Championships in Rwanda final 12 months.

Rwanda’s Jazilla Mwamikazi is without doubt one of the new riders, having accomplished a camp in France with the UCI final summer season, earlier than occurring to characterize the house nation in Kigali, her second World Championships after additionally driving in Glasgow 2023.

New signings Georgette Vignonfodo (Benin), Serkalen Taye Watango (Congo) and Lucie de Marigny-Lagesse (Mauritius) all additionally rode within the World Championships in Kigali final 12 months, while the fifth new arrival from Africa is Algeria’s Nesrine Houili, who’s making her approach again to the European peloton after a stint with Canyon-SRAM Technology in 2023.

Though African biking has been a focus for the UCI below David Lappartient’s presidency, the WCC workforce hosts riders from all around the globe. Colombia’s Juliana Londoño is one among their most profitable latest graduates from South America, occurring to journey for Picnic PostNL, and this 12 months the workforce’s youngest rider shall be 18-year-old Florencia Monsalvez from Chile.

The six new signings will be part of 4 persevering with riders: Yulduz Hashimi (Afghanistan), Gabriela Lopez (Colombia), Anna Kolyzhuk (Ukraine) and Janice Stettler (Switzerland).

Final 12 months, the WCC competed in a busy calendar of UCI and non-UCI occasions, together with the Tour de l’Avenir Femmes and two of the end-of-season Italian Classics.

Headed up by Scandolara, the workforce can depend on her wealth of expertise as a professional, but additionally her background in teaching and creating riders, having arrange the Down Underneath Academy to present riders from Australia and New Zealand a base in Italy three years.

“I had the pleasure of main the WCC Workforce final 12 months on the Tour de Charente-Maritime Féminin in France, and it was enriching to listen to their tales. It’s a singular venture that I’m actually completely satisfied to be a part of. And I’ve all the time favored passing on my ardour to different folks,” Scandolara stated.

“I’m wanting ahead to seeing them progress. It’s very motivating to work with riders who don’t but have loads of European expertise, as a result of they’re like sponges and you may make a giant distinction of their progress.

“As I’ve seen with the Down Underneath Biking Academy riders, actual progress already exhibits after the primary weeks. That basically motivates me.”