Lance Armstrong’s new team has cleared another hurdle ahead of next season’s campaign, to focus on an eighth Tour de France title for the Texan. First came the news that Team Astana had released Armstrong’s long-time Directeur Sportif Johan Bruyneel; now, the team has been awarded a ProTour licence, which should guarantee invitations to the sport’s biggest races.
“Following the examination of request received,” the official statement from UCI Press Officer Enrico Carpani reads, “the License Commission has awarded a four-year UCI ProTour license for the period 2010 to 2013 to Team Radio Shack (USA).”
RadioShack is the latest team to be awarded a ticket for cycling’s top table after Team Sky was granted its licence last month. Both new teams have been given four years, while established teams have been less fortunate; German team Milram was given just a one-year extension to its licence, while long-standing French teams Cofidis and Bbox Bouyges Telecom were denied altogether.