The International Cycling Union (UCI) has released the list of teams at will race in 2011 with Professional Continental (ProConti) licenses, and form the sports second division. The “wildcard” status has been abolished for this year, with all teams required to be part of the Biological Passport Scheme, and so all teams will be eligible to race alongside first division ProTeams in the top level races of the World Tour.
The list includes both Team Type 1 and Unitedhealthcare ProCycling, who both step up from third division Continental status, and for the first time ever there is a Canadian team at this level of the sport as Spidertech powered by C10 does likewise.
The list of teams is divided into three sections:
Teams which had ProConti licenses confirmed on November 2nd:
Androni Giocattoli (Ita)
Bretagne – Schuller (Fra)
Caja Rural (Spa)
Colnago - CSF Inox (Irl)
Europcar (Fra)
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli (GBr)
Landbouwkrediet (Bel)
Saur – Sojasun (Fra)
Skil – Shimano (Ned)
Team Netapp (Ger)
Team Type 1 (USA)
Topsport Vlaanderen – Mercator (Bel)
Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling (USA)
Teams which were initially candidates for ProTeam licenses but missed out:
Cofidis (Fra)
FDJ (Fra)
Geox – TMC (Spa)
Teams granted ProConti licences following meetings of the UCI Licence Committee on November 18th and 26th:
Acqua & Sapone (Ita)
Andalucia - Caja Granada (Spa)
CCC Polsat Polkowice (Pol)
Colombia es Pasion - Cafe de Colombia (Col)
De Rosa -Ceramica Flaminia (Irl)
Team Spidertech Powered by C10 (Can)
Verandas Willems – Accent (Bel)
Conspicuously missing from the above lists is ambitious, former ProTeam applicant, Pegasus Sports. The Australian team missed out on making the list of first division teams and has not yet supplied the UCI License Commission with the documentation necessary for it to be granted a second division one.
A possible explanation is that it was rumoured that the team's principal sponsor pulled out when Alberto Contador's positive test was announced; were this to be the case, the team may be having trouble meeting the UCI's requirements. The team has continued to sign riders though, and remains bullish about its prospects for next season's races.
The Licensing Commission has given the team until December 15th to provide the necessary documentation, after which time it will consider the application. Should this final deadline not be met, the team may find itself having to settle for Continental status, where the Fly V Australia team on which it is based currently sits; riders like Robbie McEwen, Svein Tuft and Robbie Hunter could almost unthinkably find themselves ineligible for virtually all of the sport’s top races.