The number of teams seeking to join the current twelve-member Mouvement Pour un Cyclisme Crédible [Movement for a Credible Cycling/MPCC] has expanded by a further three squads and means there are now sixteen additional teams trying to become involved.
The latest temporary members are the Pro Continental trio of Androni Giocattoli, Topsport Vlaanderen Baloise and Caja Rural. They join thirteen others in the queue, namely Team Colombia, OCBC Singapore Pro Cycling team, Optum Pro Cycling p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies, Plussbank, Bardiani CSF Inox, BigMat Auber 93, La Pomme Marseille, Blanco Pro Cycling Team [the former Rabobank squad – ed], Lampre-Merida, Novo Nordisk, Verandas Willems, Creland – Euphony and Oster Hus Ridler.
The final membership will be voted on at the next general meeting of MPCC on February 7th.
The MPCC was set up prior to the 2007 Tour de France by former Crédit Agricole chief Roger Legeay and others, and introduced tougher anti-doping rules and commitments for its members.
The teams involved remain bound by the anti-doping codes of the UCI and WADA, but have additional undertakings.
Under the current rules, members should:
- No longer allow a rider race when he has an initial positive test.
- Not sign up a rider who has a suspension of more than six months [with the exception of whereabouts cases] for a period of two years after the suspension.
- Not give corticoid injections without then imposing a break from competition of eight days.
- Carry out internal procedures from the first positive case on a team.
- Suspend themselves automatically following several positive cases in a twelve month period.
A total of eleven teams are currently part of the MPCC, namely WorldTour teams AG2R La Mondiale, Garmin-Sharp, Lotto-Belisol and Francaise des Jeux, plus Argos Shimano, Bretagne Schuller, Cofidis, Europcar, Iam, Netapp and Sojasun.
At the end of November the association of international race organisers, the AIOCC, said that it would prioritise MPCC members when allocating wildcard invitations to events. This has undoubtedly been a carrot to some of those who have applied to join but, providing the regulations are enforced, the anti-doping movement will have additional influence over the sport.