Spanish team Fuerteventura-Canarias has reacted strongly to the decision by Vuelta a España organiser Unipublic to not invite them to the race. The team called "completely false" the statement by the Vuelta's general director, Víctor Cordero, who declared that the team hadn't subjected themselves to the same controls as the rest of the pre-inscribed teams.
A meeting is scheduled for Thursday, August 16, but Fuerteventura has already released a statement, clarifying that "we want Unipublic to declare today which controls have taken place at the other pre-inscribed teams."
Furthermore the Spanish outfit emphasized that it was impossible for them to be subjected to out-of-competition controls in August, as they were engaged in races the entire month so far. "One half of the team was competing in the Volta a Portugal in the first fifteen days [the race actually runs from August 4 to 15 -ed.], and the other half was engaged in San Sebastián and Urkiola on the 4th and 5th and will be racing in Burgos from August 14 through 18."
Additionally the team claimed that they were subjected to controls during the Tour of Portugal and had more controls than any other team. They also reminded Unipublic that the Vuelta organisers had a list of riders that Fuerteventura wanted to send since June and "it is not our problem but their's [Unipublic's] that they didn't forward the list to the UCI in case of an opening, as has happened in the end [with the exclusion of Astana - ed.]"
Fuerteventura summarized four reasons why they should be included in the Vuelta. Firstly, they meet the ethics code, even according to Cordero, who said in June that "To those teams who subscribe to the Code of ethics we give guarantees. Karpin and Fuerteventura did offer those [the signing of the Code of ethics -ed.]"
Additionally they pointed out their good results as well as the fact that they wouldn't take away a spot from another team, as one team less meant it was a vacant space.
Lastly they summarized that Unipublic had given three reasons to exclude the team, but neither the code of ethics, the lodging problems nor the doping controls were a logical and responsible step. The team pleaded to Unipublic to include them.
