18 teams in 2017 UCI WorldTour, including Dimension Data

Dimension Data's position in the UCI's top-flight WorldTour race calendar is assured for 2017

South African team Dimension Data in its new kit having changed name from MTN-Qhubeka and stepped up to the WorldTour for 2016

(Image credit: Watson)

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), cycling's governing body, says that it is better that the WorldTour continues with 18 teams for 2017, saving the Dimension Data team from demotion.

It took hours of debate at the Professional Cycling Council meeting on Tuesday in Geneva, Switzerland, to settle on a decision late into the night, but the teams association pushed their point home.

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Gregor Brown

Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.