After more than a decade in the women’s peloton, Ceratizit Pro Cycling has announced that it will cease operations at the end of the 2025 season. The team’s final race will be the Maryland Classic in the United States on 6th September, bringing down the curtain on eleven seasons of racing at the top level. The team announced back in May that the Ceratizit Group were stepping down as a sponsor but now the team is confirmed to close.
The Austrian-registered squad bows out with an impressive record: 65 road victories, 13 Women’s WorldTour wins including a Tour de France Femmes stage, 16 world titles on the track and four Olympic medals. Over seventy riders have pulled on the jersey since the team’s foundation, many of them progressing onto the sport’s biggest stages.
Team manager Claude Sun admitted the decision had been a painful one. “The current economic climate has significantly impacted the ability to maintain a WorldTour team. Despite our best efforts to secure new sponsorship, escalating costs and current conditions have made it impossible to continue. It is with deep regret that we confirm the end of Ceratizit Pro Cycling after this season. Our heartfelt thanks go to the Ceratizit Group, Orbea and all of our sponsors for a decade of unwavering support, and to all of our riders, staff, and fans for their dedication and passion over the years.”
Founded in 2014 as Team WNT, the outfit rose through the ranks from a UK national squad to become a WorldTour presence. Riders such as Lisa Brennauer, Kirsten Wild, Maria Giulia Confalonieri, Cédrine Kerbaol, Kathrin and Christina Schweinberger, Marta Lach and Martina Fidanza have all taken notable wins in the team’s colours. Highlights include Wild’s victories at Gent-Wevelgem and Classic Brugge-De Panne in 2019, Brennauer’s haul of national titles and stage wins at Thüringen, Fidanza’s prolific streak in Italian races, and Kerbaol’s stage at the Tour de France Femmes in 2024.
The current season has seen more successes despite the uncertainty. Daniek Hengeveld opened the year with a WorldTour stage win at the Tour Down Under, Elena Hartmann won the Vuelta a El Salvador overall, and Dilyxine Miermont and Lana Eberle added further victories. National titles for Petra Zsanko in Hungary and Fariba Hashimi in Afghanistan also underlined the squad’s global reach in its final campaign.
From its roots in Britain to its later German registration, Ceratizit Pro Cycling consistently gave riders opportunities to compete on the international stage. The closure leaves a significant gap in the peloton and marks the end of an era for one of the most durable women’s teams of the past decade.
