Second chance for Pro Conti applicants

The International Cycling Union (UCI) is hearing four applicants to Professional Continental team licenses today in Geneva. The teams, which had been secluded last week, received additional time to complete and re-submit their files to the governing body in order to be granted the license. Contentpolis-AMPO, LPR Brakes, H2O-Teltec and Amica Chips-Knauf all choose to try again, whereas American team Rock Racing did not re-apply.

Spanish team Contentpolis-AMPO is confident that the review of the necessary sponsorship documents will convince the licenses' commission of the team's seriousness. The squad, which also created Junior and Under-23 teams, has recently received the support of the new president of the Spanish federation, Juan Calos Castaño. Both the local government of Murcia and the cooperative society of Ampo have showed interest in being further linked to the cycling team in the following seasons. Sixteen riders have been announced for next season.

French team H2O-Teltec is also hopeful that it will be granted the license. Co-sponsor Teltec was recently bought by American company Blackberry, which is why contractual documents were delayed. The team's budget was also decreased to two million euro after initial plans to sign such star riders as Paolo Bettini and Davide Rebellin were dashed.

"We might start out with a smaller budget, but we are still confident," the squad's manager Max Radoni, told L'Equipe. The team will count 18 riders for next season.

The UCI meeting will be held in a centrally located hotel in Geneva on Thursday morning.