"Technical issues" to blame for team being left off UCI list
Garmin-Cervélo has responded to the news that it has missed the initial cut for WorldTour team licences, stating that the team has a valid licence for the coming season and that its absence from the UCI's draft is down to a technicality over the team's name.
"We have a current and valid 2012 WorldTour license and are registering the team for the 2012 season," said a Garmin-Cervélo spokesperson.
"However, in that registration process we encountered some technical issues regarding the 2012 team name. Those technical issues have been resolved and the process is being completed."
The UCI today released a list of all prospective teams that have met the set criteria as well as those already guaranteed licences for 2012.
Garmin, who held a WorldTour licence this year, has not been named on the list of either guaranteed license holders or prospective applicants. Along with current WorldTour team Movistar and Vuelta a Espana winners Geox-TMC, they have not fulfilled the requirements of articles 2.15.096bis and 2.16.014bis of the UCI rules.
Garmin now has until October 21 to submit their final bid for a licence but appear confident that they will be named among the sport's elite division of teams.
A final ruling on the 18 WorldTour spots will be made at the beginning of November.
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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.
