September Women's WorldTour Power Rankings: UAE Team L'IMAD Takes the Throne as SD Worx-Protime Scrambles to Rebuild

As of September 8, 2026, the UCI Women's WorldTour team rankings reflect a seismic power shift that has been brewing all summer. UAE Team L'IMAD sits at number one with 18,778 points, establishing a new hierarchy in the peloton. FDJ United-SUEZ is breathing down their necks at 18,469 points. Meanwhile, SD Worx-Protime—the Dutch juggernaut that has defined modern women's cycling—has plummeted to third with 16,501 points.

The catalyst for this realignment was the Tour de France Femmes in August. Demi Vollering's blockbuster move to FDJ United-SUEZ paid the ultimate dividend on the Col d'Èze. On August 9, Vollering attacked inside the final kilometer to drop Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney, securing her second career Yellow Jersey and the first-ever Tour de France Femmes overall victory for a French squad.[2]

Vollering's triumph cemented FDJ United-SUEZ as a Grand Tour powerhouse, as she finished 1 minute and 18 seconds ahead of Niewiadoma-Phinney. But the team classification in Nice went to UAE Team L'IMAD, driven by Elisa Longo Borghini's third-place overall finish, 4 minutes and 29 seconds back, alongside Paula Blasi's breakout ride.[2]

UAE's ascent to the top of the rankings validates their aggressive 2026 expansion, which included a mid-season rebrand from UAE Team ADQ to UAE Team L'IMAD. They have built a formidable, multi-pronged roster, recently adding former British champion Pfeiffer Georgi on a three-year deal to bolster their Classics unit.

Yet, the atmosphere inside the world's number-one team is turbulent. UAE Team L'IMAD is currently hemorrhaging senior staff. Team principal Yana Seel departed earlier this summer, citing a divergence in strategic visions for the team's future development.

On September 4, the exodus continued when Head of Sports Cherie Pridham and sports director Dave Povall announced they were leaving for Human Powered Health in 2027. With DS Michel Cornelisse also exiting to join SD Worx-Protime, UAE is losing the core of the performance team that built their current 18,778-point foundation.

Meanwhile, SD Worx-Protime is operating in unfamiliar territory: playing catch-up. The Dutch squad is still winning bike races at a staggering clip—Lorena Wiebes just sprinted to her 20th victory of the season at La Choralis Fourmies on September 13—but their grip on the general classification landscape has slipped since Vollering's departure.

The roster churn in the SD Worx camp accelerated this week. On September 14, the team announced the immediate, mid-season exit of Hungarian champion Blanka Vas, who is transferring to Lidl-Trek effective October 1.

"Following open and constructive discussions, both parties have concluded that the sporting ambitions they had hoped for have not been realised over the past year," SD Worx-Protime stated. Sporting director Danny Stam was blunt about the split: "She has expressed a desire to explore what she can achieve with another team. We understand her position and wish her every success and happiness for the future."

Hours after confirming Vas's departure, SD Worx-Protime announced a critical counter-move: the signing of 25-year-old French climber Cédrine Kerbaol from EF Education-Oatly on a two-year deal starting in 2027. Kerbaol, who finished sixth overall at the Tour de France Femmes, is tasked with plugging the massive GC hole left by Vollering.

"Cédrine is truly a rider after our own hearts, someone who dares to race and break up races," Stam said of the new signing. "In recent years, she has proven that she has reached the very top of women's cycling. This year, she finished sixth overall in the Tour de France Femmes and second in the Tour de Suisse. In virtually every stage race she enters, she finishes in the top 10."

SD Worx-Protime is also locking down its developmental core, signing 22-year-old Lisa van Belle to a contract extension through 2028. Van Belle is being groomed as a future Classics specialist and a key component of Wiebes's lead-out train, providing some stability amidst the high-profile transfers.[1]

The stakes heading into the World Championships in Montréal are unprecedented. For the first time in the Women's WorldTour era, three distinct super-teams are operating with nearly identical firepower, and the transfer market is actively shifting the balance of power week by week. The rainbow jersey on September 26 will not just crown a world champion; it will dictate the momentum heading into the 2027 season.[2]