UCI Announces 2009 Professional Continental teams

December 2nd, 2008 by Ron Callahan View Comments

The UCI announced that the following teams have been granted a Professional Continental license for 2009. More notable are the teams that were not granted a license (see below):

ELK HAUS (AUT)

VORARLBERG – CORRATEC (AUT)
LANDBOUWKREDIET – COLNAGO (BEL)
TOPSPORT VLAANDEREN – MERCATOR (BEL)
PSK WHIRLPOOL – AUTHOR (CZE)
ANDALUCIA CAJASUR (ESP)
XACOBEO GALICIA (ESP)
AGRITUBEL (FRA)
BARLOWORLD (GBR)
CERAMICA FLAMINIA – BOSSINI DOCCE (IRL)
CSF GROUP – NAVIGARE (IRL)
ACQUA & SAPONE – CAFFE MOKAMBO (ITA)
ISD (ITA)
SKIL-SHIMANO (NED)
VACANSOLEIL PRO CYCLING TEAM (NED)
CERVELO TEST TEAM (SUI)
BMC (USA)
SERRAMENTI PVC DIQUIGIOVANNI – ANDRONI GIOCATTOLI (VEN)

Five team submitted applications, but they were refused with one or more non-conformities.

MURCIA – CONTENTPOLIS AMPO (ESP)
LPR BRAKES (IRL)
H20 (LUX)
AMICA CHIPS – KNAUF (SMR)
ROCK RACING (USA)

It’s curious to see Rock Racing on this list. The team went back and forth on getting a Pro Continental license, but as recently as this week, team owner Michael Ball said:

“The intent was to get a Pro Continental license, but as we got closer to it and learned what it all was, the reality is that we weren’t going to get a wildcard invite to the Tours anyway. Especially with Lance coming back and racing the Giro, that’s going to be crazy.”

So, the question is: Did Rock Racing originally apply for Pro Continental status and later dropped it, resulting in the license not being granted, or did they change their mind at the last minute and will complete their application by Friday’s deadline?

Other curiousities:

It was announced yesterday that Acqua & Sapone was merging with Pro Tour team Fuji-Servetto.
If LPR Brakes does not complete their application, that leaves Allesandro Pettachi and Danilo Di Luca without a team.
H20 is a new team and was signing riders left and right.

Tags: acqua & sapone, Agritubel, BMC Racing, cervelo test team, CSF GROUP, Michael Ball, Rock Racing, topsport vlaanderen, united states, Vorarlberg

View Comments »

Chief Commissaire said:

“If LPR Brakes does not complete their application, that leaves Allesandro Pettachi and Danilo Di Luca without a team.”

Not so. These guys can still race. They just won’t do it on a team that’s able to race at a ProTour-caliber level.

# 3 December 2008 at 10:40 am

admin (author) said:

Hmm. Maybe I should have said without a team that can pay them.

If the team cannot race at the level that was pledged to their sponsors, the sponsors may go elsewhere, leaving the teams without money to make payroll.

# 3 December 2008 at 11:39 am