The Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project awarded four-year ProTeam licence
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All eyes will be on Andy Schleck in 2011.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Team spokesperson Brian Nygaard (r) defends the strong anti-doping programme at Saxo Bank.(Image credit: Anthony Tan)
Earlier in the month they topped the UCI's sporting hierarchy of teams for 2011 and today the Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project has been awarded a four-year ProTeam licence by the sport’s governing body and the Licence Commission.
The team, headed by Brian Nygaard, have signed Andy Schleck, his brother Fränk, Jens Voigt, Stuart O'Grady, Linus Gerdemann, Fabian Wegmann and Jakob Fuglsang, with Fabian Cancellara rumoured to soon be announced as their final big signing.
Nygaard, who has built the team from scratch with the help of Kim Andersen, was understandably pleased with today’s news.
“It’s what we set out to do. We’re happy and proud of the work that we’ve put into it we always felt it was our duty to present a project that was strong enough to get a licence,” he told Cyclingnews.
“We did our homework and made it a very good project. It makes a lot of sense that getting a ProTeam licence is so rigorous because the sport deserves solid projects with solid investments and distinctly clear ethics. That’s where we are today.”
In October the UCI announced that The Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project were in the running for a ProTeam licence but Nygaard said that the plans for submission started much earlier.
“It’s been hard work. You don’t get favours and we weren’t asking for any. It makes sense that you have to fill all the UCI criteria. The staff and everyone that’s involved with the team have worked really hard to get here.”
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“One thing is securing some of the best bike riders in the world, but you also have to have the administration and finance in place.”
Nygaard’s team is unique because it is the only 2011 ProTeam still to announce a title sponsor. However with the team's presentation not due until January, Nygaard is sticking to his timetable and will not budge on announcing the news.
“Other things will be announced in due course. I won’t give a date right now but things are where they need to be. I can say that we’ve got the licence because of what we’ve presented.”
"We’re going to announce the final line up very shortly."
The Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project line-up:
Will Clarke (Genesys Wealth Advisors), Stefan Denifl (Cervelo), Brice Feillu (Vacansoleil), Daniele Bennati (Liquigas), Davide Viganò (Team Sky), Giacomo Nizzolo (neo), Bruno Pires (Barbot Siper), Maxime Monfort (HTC-Columbia), Wouter Weylandt (Quick Step), Dominic Klemme (Saxo Bank), Linus Gerdemann (Milram), Fabian Wegmann (Milram), Jakob Fuglsang (Saxo Bank), Stuart O'Grady (Saxo Bank), Jens Voigt (Saxo Bank), Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank), Frank Schleck (Saxo Bank), Anders Lund (Saxo Bank), Martin Mortensen (Vacansoleil), Tom Stamsnijder (Rabobank)
Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
