Former Formula One driver and founder of Continental level squad Team UKYO, Ukyo Katayama, has become a partner in HAYF Sports, the company put together by Alberto Contador, Ivan Basso and Fran Contador to run Team Polti-VisitMalta. This new partnership comes as long-standing title sponsor Polti leaves the team.
The household-appliance firm is ending its title sponsorship after three seasons. The UCI's list of 2027 ProTeam applicants already shows the change: the squad has applied as Team HAYF Sports VisitMalta, with the management company's name replacing Polti's. The UCI and PwC are now assessing applications, and the final list of registered teams is due on December 8.
VisitMalta, the Malta Tourism Authority's destination brand, became co-title sponsor in 2025, and the partnership was extended for three years in May 2024. HAYF Sports also owns bike brand AURUM and events business SCIO Pro Cycling. While the final team name, full roster and any merger of the two teams remain unconfirmed, this announcement shows what the team’s future will look like as several things change.
Fran Contador, the team's general manager, said this was the first time HAYF Sports had welcomed a new partner since its founding.
"One of our main goals together with Ukyo will be to work from day one on developing Japanese cycling, drawing on the experience we’ve gained in youth cycling in Spain over the past few years," he said.
"We want to help increase the number of people taking up the sport, spark ever-growing interest in cycling and, why not, one day see a great Japanese rider competing as a protagonist in the world's biggest races," he said.
Basso said the partnership followed discussions developed over time. "We’ve had a long dialogue with Ukyo, built up over time, a significant gestation period, as important matters require," he said.
"His arrival represents a great opportunity for our project, not only because of his career and his fame in his country, but because we immediately felt a strong personal rapport when we met him at the end of August."
A roster in transition
The team has become known for developing very talented riders who then move on to the WorldTour with the likes of Lorenzo Fortunato and Vincenzo Albanese who left at the end of 2023, and Davide Piganzoli, who came through the under-23 ranks and finished 13th and 14th at the Giro d'Italia and joined Visma-Lease a Bike this season. Giovanni Lonardi, after five years with the team, and Ludovico Crescioli are both moving to Groupama-FDJ United, while Javier Serrano, Davide Bais and Andrea Pietrobon have, as of yet, not been renewed.
This leaves just nine riders under contract for the 2027 season with the majority being Italian and Spanish, which is the core of the team. Road captain Mirco Maestri and Alessandro Tonelli are both staying, as well as Diego Pablo Sevilla, who has spent more than a decade in the Fundación Contador structure, are signed through 2027. Grand Tour starts still depend on invitations, as with the team's 2026 Giro wildcard.
Team UKYO have raced on the Continental scene since 2012 under Japanese registration but now race a largely European calendar, having had an Italian base since 2024. The following year they topped the UCI Asia Tour team rankings and finished an impressive 33rd in the world rankings, just five places behind Polti VisitMalta.
Photo: Luca Bettini/SprintCyclingAgencyThe 2026 season has been a successful one with wins both in Europe and Asia, including Nicolò Garibbo winning a stage of the Giro di Sardegna, and Tommaso Dati taking stages at Coppi e Bartali and the Tour of the Alps, where he beat Tom Pidcock, before finishing second to Jonathan Milan at the Italian championship. Dati is moving on to the WorldTour with XDS-Astana for 2027 in a very well deserved move.
Those results have come mostly from Italian riders. Six of UKYO's 12 riders this season are Japanese, but roughly 60% of the team's 2025 UCI points came from Italians.
Katayama said founding Team UKYO and pursuing Grand Tour participation grew out of his lifelong interest in cycling.
"Today, the opportunity to work alongside legends who have made their mark on cycling’s biggest stage, while creating opportunities for Japanese athletes to learn, develop and compete at the highest level through exposure to European cycling, is incredibly exciting," he said.
"By combining our experience, expertise and international perspective with a clear vision and a strong commitment to development, we can create new opportunities for Japanese athletes and build a project with a lasting impact on the sport."
Polti VisitMalta raced the Tour of Magnificent Qinghai and Tour de Langkawi in 2025, while UKYO's programme includes the Tour of Japan, Tour de Kumano and Langkawi, which leaves room for a larger Asia Tour schedule alongside the European season.
