Competitions

Twenty UCI Professional Continental Teams apply for Wild Card status

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Parent Category: Competitions

Category: Competitions 2009

Published on Monday, 21 December 2009 07:12

Written by Marcella Crisanti

Twenty UCI Professional Continental Teams apply for Wild Card status

To date, 20 UCI Professional Continental Teams have requested Wild Card status. These teams are:

Acqua & Sapone      ITA

Andalucia Cajasur     ESP

Androni Giocattoli*   VEN

Bbox Bouygues Telecom      FRA

BMC Racing Team     USA

Carmiooro - NGC      GBR

Ceramica Flaminia     IRL

Cervélo Test Team   SUI

Cofidis, le crédit en ligne     FRA

Colnago - CSF Inox   IRL

De Rosa - Stac Plastic        IRL

ISD - Neri      ITA

Landbouwkrediet      BEL

Rock Racing* USA

Saur - Sojasun        FRA

Skil - Shimano         NED

Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator    BEL

Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team         NED

Voralberg - Corratec AUT

Xacobeo Galicia Team*       ESP

* The acceptability of the candidatures of these teams depends on the Management Committee’s ruling on their appeals following the rejection of their registration applications.

Wild Card status will give the recipient UCI Professional Continental Teams the right to be invited to races on the UCI ProTour calendar.

Teams will only be granted Wild Card status if they meet strict quality criteria, in particular sporting criteria (results, squad members), legal criteria (respect of regulations), financial criteria (rigorous management, accountability) as well as ethical considerations (in particular management and anti-doping activities). Wild Card teams are obliged to commit to the fight against doping led by the UCI, in particular by participating in the implementation of biological passports (contributing to the funding of the project and providing whereabouts documentation for their riders).

The introduction of Wild Card status fulfils a demand by organisers, teams and riders, who have expressed their desire, together with the UCI, for all participants in races on the UCI ProTour calendar to meet the same requirements, in particular with regards to ethics.