Five Women’s WorldTour teams have withdrawn from the 2026 Tour of Chongming Island after the UCI removed the event’s mandatory participation requirement following the cancellation of the Tour of Guangxi Women.
AG Insurance-Soudal, EF Education-Oatly, Fenix-Premier Tech, Team Visma | Lease a Bike and Canyon SRAM have all pulled out of the three-day Chinese stage race, which is due to run from 9-11 October.
The change leaves organisers trying to rebuild a field that had originally been expected to contain all 14 Women’s WorldTour teams. The race had been planning for 18 teams in total, but September withdrawals have forced a late search for replacements.
The disruption comes only weeks before one of the longest-standing races on the women’s top-tier calendar. Our beginner’s guide to the 2026 Tour of Chongming Island covers the race format, location and the kind of racing usually seen on Chongming Island.
Why the UCI removed mandatory participation
The issue is tied directly to the cancellation of the Tour of Guangxi Women, which had been scheduled to take place on 18 October as the final Women’s WorldTour race of the season.
Under the participation rules introduced for 2026, Women’s WorldTour teams are expected to compete across the WorldTour calendar, with a limited ability to miss one event outside the Grand Tours and Monuments. ProCyclingUK examined those changes when the new WorldTour participation rules were introduced for 2026.
With Chongming Island and Guangxi originally scheduled as consecutive Chinese WorldTour races, teams could plan one late-season trip covering both events. Once Guangxi was cancelled, the economics of travelling to China for Chongming alone changed.
A communication from the International Association of Professional Cycling Teams indicated that no additional financial support had initially been proposed to teams after the Guangxi cancellation. The UCI subsequently removed mandatory participation for Chongming Island in 2026, leaving teams free to decide whether the trip remained viable.
Which teams have withdrawn from the Tour of Chongming Island?
The five Women’s WorldTour teams confirmed as withdrawn are AG Insurance-Soudal, EF Education-Oatly, Fenix-Premier Tech, Team Visma | Lease a Bike and Canyon SRAM.
Liv AlUla Jayco, Team SD Worx-Protime and UAE Team L’IMAD have all confirmed that they still intend to race in China, while four Women’s ProTeams are also expected to form part of the field.
Race organisers have acknowledged that the situation could leave them short of the planned 18-team line-up and are attempting to bring in replacement squads at relatively short notice.
They are also seeking help from the UCI while trying to make the trip more attractive to teams that are still considering an invitation.
Organisers offer to cover travel costs
In response to the withdrawals, the Tour of Chongming Island organisers have offered to pay the full travel and luggage costs for 10 people from each participating team.
That is a significant intervention for a race taking place thousands of kilometres from the European base used by most WorldTour teams. A six-rider squad still requires staff, mechanics and support personnel, making travel one of the largest additional costs attached to an isolated overseas race.
The late timing makes the situation harder. Organisers said they only received the withdrawal notifications in September, leaving a narrow window in which to find teams able to organise riders, staff, equipment and visas for an October trip to China.
The race itself remains an established part of the women’s calendar. The history of the Tour of Chongming Island stretches back to 2007, with the event joining the Women’s WorldTour in 2016.
Tour of Guangxi cancellation changed the end of the season
The Tour of Guangxi Women cancellation removed what had been intended as the final stop of the 2026 Women’s WorldTour.
The one-day race had been scheduled for 18 October, one week after Chongming Island. Severe budget reductions in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region led organiser Wanda Sports China to cancel the women’s event.
There are also no plans to hold the women’s Tour of Guangxi in 2027. The men’s Tour of Guangxi is expected to continue in both 2026 and 2027, although its position beyond the current agreement is less certain.
The cancellation is a notable change from 2025, when the women’s Tour of Guangxi still closed the WorldTour season and Anna Henderson won the race in the final sprint.
What happens to the 2026 Tour of Chongming Island now?
The Tour of Chongming Island itself is not cancelled. Organisers are continuing preparations for the three-stage race and are looking for additional teams to replace those that have withdrawn.
The immediate question is how close they can get to the intended 18-team field. The removal of compulsory attendance means every remaining WorldTour squad can weigh the sporting value of the race against the cost and logistics of travelling to China late in the season.
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The longer-term issue is whether the same situation repeats in 2027. The AIGCP is already negotiating for travel costs for at least 10 team members to be covered next season, while it remains unclear whether the UCI will restore mandatory participation at Chongming Island.
For now, the race remains on the calendar and under contract through at least 2028. The five withdrawals nevertheless underline how dependent overseas WorldTour events can be on the wider calendar around them. Once Guangxi disappeared, Chongming Island went from being one half of a two-race Chinese finale to a standalone long-haul trip, and several teams have decided that is no longer enough reason to go.
