A 30-win campaign powered by Elisa Longo Borghini and Paula Blasi dethrones traditional European powerhouses to cap a breakthrough season for Gulf cycling.
ABU DHABI — October 23, 2026 : UAE Team L’IMAD has concluded the 2026 international cycling season ranked world number one in the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Women’s WorldTeam classification, marking the first time a Middle Eastern outfit has reached the summit of professional women’s road racing.
The Abu Dhabi-based squad sealed the top spot ahead of France’s FDJ United–SUEZ and longtime classification leaders Team SD Worx–Protime. The milestone follows a calculated five-year expansion by team management that steadily transformed a developing contender into the peloton’s most consistent outfit across classic one-day races and Grand Tours alike.
Throughout the 2026 campaign, nine different riders delivered 30 official UCI road race victories. The squad showcased tactical depth rather than leaning entirely on a single general classification rider, picking up decisive UCI points across the WorldTour calendar from spring to late autumn.
Veteran Italian campaigner Elisa Longo Borghini led the team’s stage-racing ambitions, opening the calendar with a home triumph in the UAE Tour Women general classification. She went on to take third overall on the final podium of the Tour de France Femmes and claimed an individual mountain stage victory at the Giro d’Italia Women.
Spanish rider Paula Blasi provided the squad’s most explosive one-day breakthrough, claiming victory at the Amstel Gold Race before capturing key stages at La Vuelta a España Femenina. Dutch rider Karlijn Swinkels added another top-tier Monument-tier prize to the ledger with a solo win at Trofeo Alfredo Binda, while Poland’s Dominika Włodarczyk delivered two dominant stage victories at Itzulia Women in the Basque Country.
Support riders and younger sprinters carried the team through heavy scheduling conflicts across Europe. Eleonora Gasparrini and Irish track-and-road specialist Lara Gillespie repeatedly picked up podium finishes and sprint classifications. French time trialist Maeva Squiban closed the competitive calendar with a victory at the Chrono des Nations, building on her gold medal performance in the Mixed Relay Team Time Trial at the European Championships.
Melissa Moncada, President of UAE Team L’IMAD, confirmed the classification victory represents the realization of a blueprint established when the project took shape five years ago.
“Reaching the top of the world rankings reinforces our responsibility to develop emerging talent, raise performance standards, and contribute directly to the global evolution of women’s cycling,” Moncada said. “This milestone belongs to our riders, technical staff, and our partners across Abu Dhabi who committed to a long-term sporting vision.”
The title completes a clean sweep for UAE cycling programs in 2026, coinciding with UAE Team Emirates–XRG finishing atop the UCI Men’s WorldTeam rankings. The dual triumph cements Abu Dhabi’s rapid transition from a commercial sponsor into a dominant athletic and organizational base in global professional sport.
