The A.R. Monex Women's Pro Cycling Team is a continental team formerly known as the Astana Women's Team.

One of the key signings is Aider Merino of the Women's World Tour Movistar; the 26-year-old Spanish rider is considered a pure climber, having twice finished third overall in the Tour de l'Ardèche, including a summit stage win in the French race in 2018. He has also finished in the top 10 at the Giro Rosa (2018) and the Emakmen Vila (2019).

Arlenis Sierra of Cuba, winner of the 2019 Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race and runner-up in 2020, and Yareli Salazar of Mexico, stage winner at the 2020 Setmana Ciclista Valenciana (Costa Rica's Maria Jose Vargas and the Mexican duo of Ariadna Gutierrez and Andrea Ramirez) have signed three riders from Latin America to support the team leaders.

Vargas won the 2019 Central American Championships road race and took silver this year; the 24-year-old took a stage win and points prize at the 2018 Vuelta Internacional Femenina a Costa Rica.

Ramirez, 21, is Mexico's time trial champion and was seventh in the last Tour Down Under; 29-year-old Gutierrez is the team's most veteran; a two-time Mexican road race champion, he won the Pan American road title in 2019.

Moving over from the now-defunct Ekip Paul Ka team is Italian Maria Vittoria Sperotto. She joins three other Italians on the team: returning rider Katia Ragusa, who was third in the Giro Rosa mountain class, and 18-year-old newcomers Maria Pia Ciatto and Emma Faolo. [France's Jade Theoris, and Russians Maria Novorotskaya and Maria Miliaeva. Novorotskaya placed fifth overall in this year's Giro Rosa for best young rider and mountaineering.

Now in its seventh year, the team is still registered in Italy and is directed by Maurizio Bavretto.

"The team will be strong. We have kept the players who did their best last season and added some key elements.

The team also announced that Aldo Piccolo will continue as sporting director and David Plaza will join the team management after moving from Mexico-based Continental team Agorico, where he spent the past two years.

A.R. Monex Women's Professional Cycling Roster for 2021 [21]