UAE Team L'IMAD to shut down women's development team after 2026

UAE Team L'IMAD will end its women's development team at the conclusion of the 2026 season, bringing an end to a three-year project that has provided a direct pathway into the WorldTour for some of the most promising young riders in its organization.

The UAE Development Team was established in 2023 as a separate UCI Women's Continental team, giving young riders a professional environment in which to race and develop. The structure will no longer exist as a separate team in 2027, although UAE insists that its commitment to developing young talent will continue within the WorldTour organization.

The decision means 11 riders currently on the 2026 Development Team roster will no longer have that separate Continental structure to race for next season. Only 18-year-old Abigail Miller currently has a 2027 contract with the UAE WorldTour team, while UAE has said it will continue supporting the other development riders during 2027 according to their individual circumstances and progression.

Instead of maintaining a separate team, UAE plans to move the development process closer to its WorldTour squad. Young riders considered ready for the next step will be integrated into the senior structure.

Paula Blasi is perhaps the clearest example of how quickly the system could work. The Spanish rider joined the UAE Development Team at the beginning of 2025, and her performances were strong enough to earn a mid-season promotion to the WorldTour team.

Blasi subsequently became one of the biggest breakthrough riders in women's cycling. In 2026, she won the Amstel Gold Race and became the first Spanish rider to win La Vuelta Femenina, while also finishing third overall at the Santos Women's Tour Down Under and fifth at the Tour de France Femmes.

Lara Gillespie and Linda Zanetti also came through the development structure before establishing themselves at WorldTour level. Federica Venturelli was another important graduate: after joining the Development Team in 2024, she signed a two-year WorldTour contract covering 2026 and 2027.

The closure therefore does not mean UAE is abandoning its investment in young women. The organization's stated approach is instead to bring the development function inside the WorldTour structure and focus more directly on riders who are already close to being ready for the highest level.

For the riders currently on the development team, the transition creates a period of uncertainty. UAE has committed to supporting them through 2027, but that does not mean all 11 will be absorbed into the WorldTour roster. The team's own statement makes clear that support will be tailored to each rider's needs and stage of development.