Giro d’Italia organisers RCS Sport have announced the identities of fourteen teams which it will consider for wildcard entries to its races in 2012, saying that they alone provided the required request and documentation for the places.
A total of four wildcards will be given for the Giro d’Italia, with seven to be allocated for both Milan-Sanremo and Il Lombardia, plus two for Tirreno-Adriatico.
Midnight of last night was the deadline for applications, and the following teams satisfied the criteria.
Androni Giocattoli (ITA)
Acqua & Sapone (ITA)
Champion System Cycling Team (CHN)
Colnago-CSF Inox (IRL)
Colombia-Coldeportes (COL)
Farnese Vini (GBR)
Landbouwkrediet (Bel)
Project 1T4I (NED)
RusVelo (RUS)
Saur Soyasun (Fra)
Team Europcar (Fra)
Team Netapp (Ger)
Team Type 1 Sanofi (USA)
Utelsinord Named (IRL)
There are a total of 22 Pro Continental teams registered with the UCI this year, meaning that eight did not apply for wildcard status. These are the Spanish Andalucia and Caja Rural teams, which will presumably target the Vuelta a España instead, the French Bretagne-Schuller and Cofidis teams which will petition for an entry into ASO’s races, including the Tour de France, Belgian squads Accent Jobs – Willems Veranda’s and Topsport Vlaanderen – Mercator, Candian team Spidertech Powered By C10 and UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team (USA).
The final decision about which teams will be given wildcard allocations will be made on Tuesday January 10th. Then, RCS Sport CEO Giacomo Catano, general manager Michele Acquarone, RCS cycling technical manager Mauro Vegni, marketing manager Marco Gobbi Pansana, and La Gazzetta Dello Sport’s Pier Bergonzi will meet as part of the wild card cycling commission and hand out the twenty places.
Tirreno-Adriatico, the first of the four events, will take place between March 7th and 13th.