Both Team RadioShack and Sky could know as soon as Friday whether or not they will form part of the International Cycling Union’s (UCI) ProTour in 2010. An independent ProTour licence commission is close to a decision on each of the eight teams who have applied, UCI’s ProTour Manager, Alain Rumpf told CyclingNews.
Among other teams, Lance Armstrong’s Team Radioshack has applied for a new license, while others have applied for renewals.
There are 13 teams who already have a licence for 2010. With the licence commission able to issue a maximum of seven ProTour licences, at least one of the eight teams is certain to miss out. “The UCI regulations limit the number of ProTour licences to 20, so the licence commission cannot issue more than that.”
More than one team could miss out on a ProTour licence. The licence commission has the power to deny a licence to any team that lacks the qualifications for ProTour status.
“The licence commission has no obligation to issue 20 licences,” said Rumpf. “So it could be that there are less than 20 ProTour teams for 2010, but this is up to the licence commission to decide.”
The licence commission bases its assessment on three criteria: sporting, ethical and financial structures. The commission has strictly assessed each of the eight teams, including one-on-one interviews between the team managers and the UCI’s anti-doping department.
“The licence commission looks at the quality of results the team has achieved in 2009, the riders on its team and, in the case of new teams, the quality of riders it has hired. The commission is also looking at what measures the team will take to ensure that there is no doping by its riders.”
Rumpf emphasised that the financial stability of a prospective ProTour team was a key factor the licence commission’s decision. “An assessment is made by the commission and a qualified accountant on the budget of the team, its sponsorship contract and the overall quality of the team’s administration,” he said. “We want to make sure that the teams have a sound operational structure in place to cope with being a part of the ProTour.”
(Source: cyclingnews.com)
Pro Tour Decision Close, Will Team Radioshack Make it?
Who are the 8 teams that have applied for licenses and renewals for this year? Do we have any details on the extact criteria or situations in the past where certain teams have not made it that were expected to?
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Could Astana be a team to miss out on a ProTour license? With their financial troubles and a dodgy rider like Vino, not to mention that I don’t think Contador would mind switching to a spanish team a year early……
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Who cares where he goes?!He is so individualistic and that will cost him loyalty at other teams.He is doomed now with all the talent he might find it hard to build a team for himself at this time of the year and besides look at how all his teammates are running away from him!A Spanish team is good now for him because at Garmin they won’t like it unless the good GC riders Vaughters developed leave!Even Valverde won’t give in without a fight after winning the Vuelta.
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Quick question: Is there a team roster at this time? And as far as Contador goes, everybody should know that he’ll be 100% fine. To make that perfectly obvious, even Terrell Owens can find a team in the NFL after being a total dickhead on how many teams? Somebody will pick him up because they want the publicity, all we can do is hope that he gets a lot of unexplained flats next season.
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