Swiss women’s cycling squad SPAR CTO Women is aiming to step up from club racing to UCI Women’s Continental level in 2027, in a move that would give Cycling Team Ost a place in the international team structure for the first time.
The organisation has outlined its ambition in a new announcement on the CTO Sports website. The planned move remains subject to the necessary registration and approval, rather than representing confirmation that a UCI licence has already been awarded.
From a Swiss club team to the Continental ranks
CTO’s dedicated women’s programme was launched for the 2025 season with the support of Swiss retailer SPAR, which became its naming sponsor. The team was established to provide a more structured environment for elite and under-23 women at a time when riders in Switzerland were increasingly looking for opportunities beyond mixed club squads.
The initial ten-rider line-up combined experienced competitors such as Rahel Aschwanden, Lea Fuchs and Nicole Suter with younger riders including Aline Epp, Malu Gaggioli and Livia Steinmann. Former elite rider Gerhard Joling was recruited to oversee the programme when it launched, providing support with technical development and race planning.
In 2026, SPAR CTO Women continued to compete at club level while entering riders in national championships and selected UCI-ranked events. Fuchs finished third in the Swiss elite individual time trial and sixth in the road race, as well as recording a top-ten finish at the Alpes Grésivaudan Classic in France. Aschwanden and other members of the squad also competed in Swiss domestic races.
Those performances provide a picture of the team’s existing racing level, but they do not establish which riders will be retained for 2027. CTO has not yet provided a fully verified Continental roster or a detailed international calendar in the material available to ProCyclingUK.
What UCI Women’s Continental status would change
Moving up would make CTO part of the UCI’s third tier of women’s road teams, below the Women’s WorldTeams and Women’s ProTeams. Continental registration comes with specific sporting and administrative requirements, including a minimum squad of eight riders and a maximum of 16 under the current UCI rules, with limited additional places available for riders from certain other disciplines.
For a Swiss organisation that began with a club-level women’s squad, the distinction matters. Continental status would establish a recognised international team rather than relying solely on national and club structures, with the potential to pursue a broader programme of UCI-ranked races. It would not automatically provide access to Women’s WorldTour events or make the team a Women’s ProTeam.
There is already a developing landscape of Swiss-based women’s Continental cycling. NEXETIS was established in 2025 with a focus on young riders, while the UCI World Cycling Centre in Aigle has long operated a development team with an international roster. CTO’s proposed step up would add another route for riders seeking a place in the professional racing system.
Registration remains the next step
The announcement comes as organisations across Europe prepare their teams for 2027. CTO Sports AG, the company behind the cycling operation, was formed from Cycling Team Ost earlier in 2026, giving the wider organisation a corporate structure intended for the operation and development of sporting teams and events.
A successful application would be a further stage in that project. Until the registration is confirmed, the significant development is CTO’s intention to move beyond club racing; the final licence status, 2027 line-up, sponsors and race programme should be treated as separate announcements.
