First wave of Professional Continental teams also named after files received by deadline
The International Cycling Union (UCI) has announced the first eight team to have been registered in the 2013 WorldTour. Along with auditor Ernst & Young, teams with ongoing WorldTour licenses that have submitted files by the required deadline; all have current licenses, and merely had to be reviewed before being successfully registered.
All eight teams – Astana, BMC Racing, Cannondale (currently Liquigas-Cannondale), Lampre-Merida (currently Lampre-ISD), Omega Pharma-Quick Step, Orica-GreenEdge, Team Sky, and Vacansoleil-DCM – were listed in the top-15 by the UCI’s sporting criterion earlier this week.
Among the current ProTeams not included in the list of eight, AG2R La Mondiale, Euskaltel-Euskadi, Garmin-Sharp, Former Rabobank and Team Saxo-Tinkoff are all applying for a license renewal, while Professional Continental team Argos-Shimano seeks an new one. All six will be required to appear before the UCI’s Licensing Commission. Of that list, Saxo-Tinkoff (20th) and Argos-Shimano (16th) were outside the top-15 and so – assuming the top-15 are all successful in their reapplication – will be fighting for the remaining three spots.
FDJ (currently FDJ-BigMat) and Lotto-Belisol both have existing licenses for the 2013 season but, since they both fell below the top-15, both will also be called before the Licensing Commission before their registration can be approved.
Despite having existing licenses, and being among the top-15 sporting teams, Katusha, Movistar Team and RadioShack-Nissan will also have to appear before the Licensing Commission because their applications require further scrutiny.
First list of Professional Continental licenses confirms Europcar out of the WorldTour race
In addition to the eight ProTeams, 13 teams have been successfully registered in the second division, Professional Continental, level. 11 of these teams are existing ProConti teams; this includes Team Europcar which, according to its 19th place in the UCI’s sporting criterion, was eligible to apply for ProTeam status. Team manager Jean-René Bernadeau has stated recently that he feels that the WorldTour calendar is too big for his relatively small-budgeted team.
Europcar’s inclusion in the ProConti ranks officially confirms that there are 19 teams chasing the 18 WorldTour places.
The list also confirms that Polish team CCC Polsat Polkowice is to step back up to ProConti level, after one year in the Continental ranks, and should be assured a wildcard invitation to the Tour of Poland; probably still alongside the “Polish selection” that has ridden the race in recent years.
The new team on the list is new Swiss outfit IAM Cycling, whose largely Swiss roster is backed up by riders like Australian Heinrich Haussler and Swede Gustav Larsson.
The next announcement of the further granting of licenses will be made on November 26th, while the final decisions will be made on December 10th.
Licenses have been awarded based on ethical, economic and administrative criterion, as well as purely sporting ones. In light of the recent revelations of the Lance Armstrong and US Postal Service team’s systematic doping regime, uncovered by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), the UCI has made it clear that the licenses may be withdrawn at any time.
“The UCI would like to make it clear that any significant change in the information used to establish the evaluation of the teams whose registration has been announced above will automatically be referred to the Licences Commission with the possible consequence of the withdrawal of the UCI WorldTour licence, the withdrawal of the registration or the suspension of the team depending on the seriousness of the case,” says a statement.
With the possibility of more revelations to come from the investigations such as that in Padova, Italy, there is a real possibility that some teams may lose – or fail to be awarded – ProTeam status for 2013.
UCI ProTeams
Astana Pro Team (Kaz)
BMC Racing Team (USA)
Cannondale (Ita) [currently Liquigas-Cannondale – ed]
Lampre-Merida (Ita) [currently Lampre-ISD – ed]
Omega Pharma-Quick Step (Bel)
Orica-GreenEdge (Aus)
Sky Procycling (GBr)
Vacansoleil-DCM (Ned)
UCI Professional Continental Teams
Accent Jobs – Wanty (Bel) [currently Accent.jobs-Willems Verandas – ed]
Androni Giocattoli (Ita) [currently Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela – ed]
Caja Rural (Spa)
CCC Polsat Polkowice (Pol)
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits (Fra)
IAM Cycling (Swi)
Landbouwkrediet-Euphony (Bel)
Sojasun (Fra) [currently Saur-Sojasun – ed]
Team Europcar (Fra)
Team Netapp-Endura (Ger)
Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise (Bel) [currently Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator – ed]
UnitedHealthCare Professional Cycling Team (USA)
Vini Fantini (Ita) [currently Farnese Vini-Selle Italia – ed]