One Pro To Switch To Women’s Cycling

One Pro Cycling, the team owned by former England cricketer Matt Prior, has revealed that it is to quit the UCI professional men’s circuit in favour of establishing a women’s outfit next season.

The news comes as the Ovo Energy Tour of Britain gets underway, with One Pro Cycling among the teams taking part.

Prior founded the UCI Professional Continental-level outfit in 2015 with dreams of one day competing in the Tour de France.

But the ex-wicket keeper told ‘The Telegraph’ at the weekend that men’s cycling “holds no value right now,” outside of the UCI World Tour, describing the move to women’s racing as “a no-brainer from a business perspective.”

One Pro’s move comes amid reports that several other domestic teams face the prospect of closure before the end of the season. Last week Irish UCI Professional Continental team Aqua Blue Sport also announced it was to fold.

Prior explained: “You’d need £15 million minimum to be competitive at World Tour level, which is where we want to be, and even that would be £20 million below what Sky have.

“For a fraction of that money – maybe £1.5 million – you could have a very competitive Women’s WorldTour team. […]

“With the announcements the UCI have made regarding women’s cycling from 2020, we are massively excited about what the future holds.

“There is so much potential for growth and all the investors I have spoken to so far appear to be similarly excited.”

Earlier this year, International Cycling Union (UCI) president David Lappartient unveiled a series of reforms to international women’s road cycling in the wake of widespread criticism concerning lack of gender equality in the sport.

From 2020, a new UCI Women’s WorldTour will feature a tiered team system with increased prize money and minimum salaries for all riders.