Twenty Pro Continental teams apply for Wild Card status

Twenty Professional Continental teams have applied for Wild Card status, the International Cycling Union (UCI) announced today. Teams granted Wild Card status for the 2010 season have the right to be invited to races on the UCI ProTour calendar.

The UCI approved 19 teams for Pro Continental status earlier in December and all but two, Poland's CCC Polsat Polkowice and Brazil's Scott - Marcondes César Sao José dos Campos, applied for Wild Card status. Three teams denied Pro Continental status by the UCI but currently undergoing an appeals process through the UCI Management Committee also applied for a Wild Card designation, including Venezuela's Androni Giocattoli, USA's Rock Racing and Spain's Xacobeo Galicia.

Teams will only be granted Wild Card status if they meet strict quality criteria, such as the quality of riders and race results, legal criteria, financial criteria and ethical considerations, particularly an anti-doping stance.

Wild Card teams will be required to participate in the UCI's biological passport programme, including making a financial contribution to the biological passport programme and providing documentation of their riders' whereabouts for random testing.

Professional Continental teams applying for Wild Card status:

Acqua & Sapone (Ita)
Andalucia Cajasur (Spa)
Androni Giocattoli* (Ven)
Bbox Bouygues Telecom (Fra)
BMC Racing Team (USA)
Carmiooro - NGC (GBr)
Ceramica Flaminia (Irl)
Cervélo TestTeam (Swi)
Cofidis, le crédit en ligne (Fra)
Colnago - CSF Inox (Irl)
De Rosa - Stac Plastic (Irl)
ISD - Neri (Ita)
Landbouwkrediet (Bel)
Rock Racing* (USA)
Saur - Sojasun (Fra)
Skil - Shimano (Ned)
Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator (Bel)
Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team (Ned)
Voralberg - Corratec (Aut)
Xacobeo Galicia Team* (Spa)

* Denotes a team which has yet to receive Pro Continental status from the UCI

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