Still no news on Saxo Bank WorldTour licence decision

Danish squad currently last in UCI ranking

Six and a half weeks after the UCI’s licence commission met to discuss the Saxo Bank team in relation to its WorldTour licence, there is still no indication as to when a decision will be made.

The Danish squad lost two thirds of its points when Alberto Contador was sanctioned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport and suspended. The results gained last year, his first with Saxo Bank, were also struck off.

The UCI stated on February 10th that it wanted to determine if the team should retain its licence or should be relegated to Pro Continental level.

Contador aside, only seven other Saxo Bank riders scored WorldTour points last season. Of those, four riders – Richie Porte, Baden Cooke, Jonas Jorgensen and Gustav Larsson – scored ten points or less.

“The PCC took note that further to the CAS decision earlier this week concerning Alberto Contador, the UCI will today ask its Licence Commission to issue a ruling on whether the Saxo Bank-Sungard team should retain its place in the UCI WorldTour,” the UCI said at the time.

“If the points obtained by Alberto Contador, representing approximately 68% of the Saxo Bank-Sungard team’s total points, are disregarded, his team would no longer be considered to fulfil the sporting criterion required for the UCI WorldTour.”

The team’s owner Bjarne Riis appeared before the Licence Commission on February 27th, presenting Saxo Bank’s case as to why it should be allowed remain in the UCI’s top ranks.

Since then, there has been silence on the matter. Contacted by VeloNation today, UCI press officer Enrico Carpani said that there was no news as yet. “The only comment we can make is we have to wait for the final decision which will be rendered by the Licence Commission,” he said.

“They are working as a full independent commission, and they set their own agenda.”

The Saxo Bank team has been competing without Contador since the news of his suspension was announced on February 6th. It has struggled to make an impact on the WorldTour level; the latest rankings put it last out of the eighteenth teams.

It has clocked up only two points, 69 points off the total of the next-highest team, FDJ-BigMat.

Sky Procycling leads with 356 points.

Riis will hope that the UCI’s Licence Commission agrees to let his team retain its licence. However, its clear that at this point in time, the Danish squad is a long way off from the all round strength it was famous for during the 2000s.

UCI WorldTour team rankings for March 25: