UCI WorldTeam
At least 4 sports directors and 10 other staff, such as coaches, doctors, paramedical assistants and mechanics (article 2.15.049).
Guide · Squads
Men's, women's and development squads in one programme
Running men's, women's and development squads in one programme means one race calendar, one staff and one fleet shared by three groups of riders. Plan every race with its own selection grouped by squad, keep a rider calendar per division and one staff and fleet calendar for everyone, so that overlaps between the squads show up before they become a problem. VelOps, cycling team software for pro teams, does this in one back office.
Why it gets complicated
Three squads, one staff, one fleet
Each squad has its own race programme, but the people and vehicles around the riders are often shared. The difficulty is not one squad, but the overlap between them.
Races on the same days
In busy weeks the men's, women's and development squads can each have a race on the same days, sometimes in different countries. Every one of those races needs its own selection, staff, vehicles, travel and hotel.
Staff who work for more than one squad
Sports directors are often tied to one squad, while soigneurs, mechanics, doctors and team operations staff may work across squads. Without one calendar of everyone's days, the same person is easily planned twice, or one person collects far more days away than the rest (see the staff planning guide).
Vehicles that move between programmes
Team cars, the bus and the truck rarely belong to one squad. A car that comes back from a women's stage race may be needed for a development race a few days later (see the fleet planning guide).
Different views for different people
A sports director wants the races of their own squad. Team operations needs every race at once. Management wants race days per rider for each squad. And every rider only needs their own programme.
UCI rules
Different categories, different minimums
Men's and women's teams are registered in different UCI categories. For the 2026 season the UCI registered 18 UCI WorldTeams, 16 UCI ProTeams, 14 UCI Women's WorldTeams and 7 UCI Women's ProTeams, with the UCI Continental teams on top of that. Each category has its own minimum staff in the UCI Cycling Regulations, Part 2 Road Races (version of 1 September 2026), so a team with several squads plans against several sets of rules.
UCI ProTeam
At least 3 sports directors and 5 other staff, such as paramedical assistants and mechanics (article 2.16.001).
UCI Women's WorldTeam
At least 2 sports directors and 5 other paid staff (article 2.13.241). All sports directors must hold the UCI Sports Director Diploma (article 2.13.242).
UCI Women's ProTeam
At least 1 sports director and 3 other paid staff (article 2.19.084). All sports directors must hold the UCI Sports Director Diploma (article 2.19.085).
Checklist
Planning a season for three squads
A practical order of work, from the race programmes to each rider's phone.
- Put the race programmes of all squads in one calendar and mark the weeks where they overlap.
- Plan training camps in the same calendar as the races, so that a camp of one squad does not clash with a race of another.
- Make the selection per race, with riders grouped by squad and a reserve where it helps.
- Plan staff per race by role, and check each person's days across all squads, not per squad.
- Assign team cars, the bus and the truck per race, and check that no vehicle is promised to two squads on the same days.
- Book travel and hotels per race, and use one transport leg for two races when people travel straight from one race to the next.
- Follow race days per rider for each squad across the season.
- Give every rider and staff member their own programme on their phone.
In VelOps
Three squads in VelOps
VelOps is team management and race logistics software for professional cycling teams (men's, women's and development squads): a back office for races, selections, travel, staff and team cars, plus a rider app. Men's, women's and development squads run in one platform.
- A selection per race with riders grouped by division (Men, Women, Devo) and staff grouped by role, each with a period and the status Selected or Reserved; the selection feeds the calendars, the logistics and the rider app
- A rider calendar with all races per division as time blocks and the selection progress (such as 6/7); per rider per day selected, reserve (R) or travel (T), and overlapping races as several dots on the same day
- A staff calendar with every staff member's role and number of days, coloured per race
- A fleet calendar with team cars, the bus and the truck, driver initials, race assignments, the service course and free periods
- A season dashboard with race days per rider, ridden and still to ride, filtered by Men, Women or Devo
- Training camps in the same planning as the races
- A rider app in which every rider and staff member sees their own races, their trip and who else is going
FAQ
Squads in one programme: common questions
Can one platform plan men's, women's and development squads?
Yes. In VelOps, men's, women's and development (Devo) squads run in one platform. Riders are grouped by division in every race selection, the rider calendar shows all races per division, and the season dashboard filters race days per rider by Men, Women or Devo.
How do you avoid planning the same staff member for two squads at once?
Keep one staff calendar for all squads instead of one per squad. In VelOps the staff calendar shows every staff member with their role and number of days, coloured per race, so each person's races across all squads are in one view, and periods can be adjusted straight from the calendar.
How many staff does a women's team need under UCI rules?
Under the UCI Cycling Regulations, a UCI Women's WorldTeam must employ at least 2 sports directors and 5 other paid staff, and a UCI Women's ProTeam at least 1 sports director and 3 other paid staff. In both categories all sports directors must hold the UCI Sports Director Diploma.
Do riders of every squad see their own programme?
Yes. The VelOps rider app is a web app that riders and staff open on their phone. Each rider sees their own races with the status Selected or Reserve, their trip for each race and who else is going.
Sources
- Number of registered teams: UCI press release on the allocation of the UCI WorldTour and UCI Women's WorldTour licences, published at uci.org; consulted on 7 October 2026.
- UCI Cycling Regulations, Part 2 Road Races, version of 1 September 2026: article 2.13.241 and 2.13.242 (UCI Women's WorldTeams), article 2.15.049 (UCI WorldTeams), article 2.16.001 (UCI ProTeams), article 2.19.084 and 2.19.085 (UCI Women's ProTeams). Published at uci.org/regulations; consulted on 7 October 2026.
- VelOps features: the VelOps race selection, back office and rider app pages.
Published 15 October 2026.
Book a demo
Plan your squads in VelOps
We'll show you the selection per division, the rider, staff and fleet calendars and the rider app with your own races as the example, in a 30-minute demo, in person or online.
Or email us directly: info@velops.app