Italian road champion Marta Bastianelli will return to the Italian Allee team after spending 2019 with Bjarne Riis' Danish Team Virtue, which is disbanding after this season. The re-signing of the sprinter is part of the team's push to enter the Women's World Tour next year.

The Italian UCI team, which previously raced as Ale Cipollini, recently added BTC City Ljubljana as a naming sponsor and announced the addition of Spanish rider Mavi Garcia from Movistar to its 2020 roster.

"I had various offers for the 2020 season, but when I was contacted by (Ale BTC City Ljubljana team principal) Alessia Piccolo and Ale about returning, I couldn't say no," Bastianelli said in a statement released by the team.

Bastianelli, a strong contender in this weekend's UCI Road World Championships elite women's road race, rode with Ale Cipollini for three seasons before signing with Team Virtue, winning 16 races for the Italian team.

"This is my second family. After the World Championships, after the UCI confirmed its commitment to recognize the team's status in the Women's WorldTour, I found a contract that would give me more clarity."

The 32-year-old speedster will be active with Team Virtu in 2019, starting the season with victories in the Belgian and French one-day classics and following those wins with two stages and the overall win in Gracia Orlova, Russia. She won a stage in the Lotto-Thuringian Ladies Tour and took the title in the Italian road race.

"I am very proud to have Marta back on the 2020 team," said the team's president, Gerard Pérez. It's a very warm comeback and we are happy to welcome the Italian national champion to the one and only Italian team in the Women's World Tour."