WorldTour teams dominate much of cycling discourse, and understandably so. They have the highest level riders, more funding and more coverage so tend to receive the majority of the headlines.
There is great riding outside of the WorldTour, though. ProTour teams sit lower in status but, what with relegation now moving teams between the two and all races featuring a few non-top level squads, you can spot some well-known faces among the mix.
Those big names include the likes of Chris Froome, whose team Israel-Premier Tech were relegated at the end of 2022, and other riders who are making their way up through the ranks.
Women’s cycling does not yet have a ProTour level so the Continental teams are the best place to spot those up-and-coming female riders.
We’ve dived into some of the best kit and bikes that these riders will be wearing in 2023, these are some of our favourites.
DAS-Handsling
Previously known as CAMS-Basso, the DAS-Handsling team has a fresh name and look for 2023. The kit is a big departure from their signature red and yellow but they’re still going to stand out among the peloton in this multi-coloured number.
They’ve been decked out with Handsling bikes as one of the title sponsors, one of the few pro teams to ride the bikes. Given that the team boasts riders such as GB cyclist Sophie Lewis and British gravel national champ Danni Shrosbree, this kit will be one to keep an eye out for.
Kit: Bioracer
Bike: Handsling
Groupset: Shimano/Rotor
Team BridgeLane
Whether the aqua kit is a reference to a nation entirely surrounded by water, we don’t know, but Team BridgeLane’s new kit will certainly make a splash. The redesign has brought together a mixture of geometric and cloud patterns and is countered by the team’s all-black Cerv?los.
Team BridgeLane is Australia’s longest running Continental team and, somewhat understandably, has an all-Australian line-up.
Kit: Cuore
Bike: Cerv?lo
Groupset: Shimano
Wheels: Shimano
AWOL O’Shea
Sticking with tradition, AWOL O’Shea continues its pink, orange and purple fades into this season. The kit has had a slight redesign, with more colour on the torso, but will still be a familiar face to fans of the team.
They have gone from strength to strength in recent years and the new riders for 2023 look set to continue that trend, including 2022 French Madison champion, Cindy Pomares, and former BoomPods rider Lucy Harris.
Kit: GSG Clothing
Bolton Equities Black Spoke
In almost Cadbury-coloured kit, the Bolton Equities team are hard to miss with their neon yellow highlights and, new this year, dramatic purple and black Pinarellos. We love a good two-tone paintjob and this combination is ticking all the right boxes.
The team has picked up WiV SunGod rider and 2022 Irish road race champion Rory Townsend for this year, joining New Zealand champion James Fouch?.
Kit: Doltcini
Bike: Pinarello
Groupset: Shimano
Wheels: Princeton
Lotto Dstny
Lotto Dstny were one of the teams relegated from the men’s WorldTour at the end of last year and, while that may have dampened their spirits, it hasn’t dulled their kit. The bold colours are balanced by the team’s black Ridley bikes and are topped with two-tone Eko? helmets.
Riding as Lotto Soudal in 2022, the team didn’t secure enough points to keep their place in the WorldTour but DS Kurt Van de Wouwer says he is ‘confident that next season they will compete for victory on all fronts’.
Kit: Vermarc Sport
Bike: Ridley
Groupset: Shimano
Wheels: DT Swiss
TDT-Unibet
Is this a bike loud enough to rival the Palace x EF Education Cannondale? Very possibly. What they share in brand they also share in extreme colour scheme, with the TDT-Unibet bike favouring a rhubarb and custard approach.
The team itself is new for 2023, founded by Dutch YouTuber and pro cyclist Bas Tietema and entering at Continental level. It is largely Dutch riders for now but has also picked up Brit Harry Tanfield since the collapse of Ribble-Weldtite.
Bike: Cannondale
Groupset: Shimano
Wheels: Scope
Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling
Why change something that isn’t broken? That seems to be the motto of Ceratizit-WNT with this year’s kit, but we’re here for it. The red-sleeved blue jersey is easy to spot and tastefully simplistic, topped with matching red Kask helmets. Equally minimal are the teams blue Orbeas.
The team has a host of strong riders but track dominance is its stand out feature, with riders such as Katie Archibald, Martina Fidanza and Lea Lin Teutenberg on its roster.
Kit: Castelli
Bike: Orbea
Groupset: Shimano
Wheels: Vision
AT85
Last year, they were WiV SunGod. This year, they are AT85 and now they’re on Dolans. Though a strong presence on the track, Dolan has been lacking from the road in recent years. The bike has some Movistar-esque blue details and is equipped with Hunt wheels and Rotor cranks.
AT85 has had many faces over the years, rising to prominence as Canyon-dhb and its roster for 2023 includes the likes of Ollie Wood, part of the World Champion Team Pursuit squad last year.
Bike: Dolan
Groupset: Shimano/Rotor
Wheels: Hunt
Keen to see what the WorldTour teams are riding this year? See our full guide to the WorldTour team bikes 2023.
