Four Women's WorldTeams have withdrawn from the 2026 Copenhagen Sprint, hitting the maximum number of opt-outs permitted under UCI rules for any single race. AG Insurance-Soudal, Movistar, FDJ United-Suez, and world number one ranked UAE Team ADQ will all skip the June event, leaving organisers with ten WorldTour squads, six Continental teams, and no ProTeams.
Copenhagen Sprint (Women) 2026 – Startlist Snapshot
As of March 2, 2026
Category | Teams |
|---|---|
| Continental teams (6) | |
| Pending | |
| ProTeams attending | |
| WorldTeams confirmed (10) | |
| WorldTeams withdrawn (4, maximum) |
Under the 2026–2028 Women's WorldTour participation framework, teams may skip one non-mandatory event per season, provided no more than four squads opt out of the same race. Teams cannot skip the same event twice in the three-year cycle. AG Insurance-Soudal, Movistar, and FDJ United-Suez each cited a lack of specialist sprinters suited to the flat Copenhagen course. UAE Team ADQ pointed to logistical reasons.
The ProTeam absence compounds the problem. Four of the seven existing Women's ProTeams are French-based and have chosen the concurrent CIC-Tour Féminin des Pyrénées, a ProTour stage race running June 12–14. Spanish squad Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi declined due to the travel distance. Cofidis also opted for the French calendar, which means Danish rider Amalie Dideriksen can only race if a Danish national team selection is approved.
The field is a step down from the inaugural 2025 edition, which featured 11 WorldTeams and three ProTeams. Defending champion Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) is expected to return, as are 2025 runner-up Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) and third-placed Chiara Consonni (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto).
The budget reality behind the opt-outs
Women's teams operate on significantly smaller budgets than their men's counterparts, and the 2026 calendar includes two mandatory races in China. That long-haul obligation is not skippable, which makes a trip to Scandinavia, at the geographic fringe of the European calendar, a rational place to spend the single opt-out.
Race director Jesper Tikiøb acknowledged the situation plainly. "It is a fact, and it is a rule. Someone has to have those cancellations," Tikiøb said in comments to Feltet. "What I can hope for is that we create a good bike race so people want to come back."
He added: "We are completely new. We are located right on the edge geographically. It's an expensive trip to come to Denmark, so you have to want it."
The regulations are working as designed, but have left Copenhagen exposed. The race needs a strong 2026 edition to avoid a similar outcome next year.
Cover image credit: Fotograf Esben Zøllner Olesen/ Copenhagen Sprints
