The UCI announced the 20 teams that have requested "wild card" status by the November 15 deadline. Earning wild card status will give the recipient the right to be invited to races on the UCI ProTour calendar. All the candidate teams will also be registered UCI Professional Continental Teams.
Wild card teams must meet quality criteria, sporting results criteria, legal criteria, and financial criteria. They are also supposed to act in accordance with ethical criteria, particularly with regard to management and anti-doping activities. Wild card teams will have to participate in the implementation of biological passports, including contributing to funding for the project and reporting whereabouts documentation for its riders.
The new designation comes in response to a request from organizers, teams and riders for all participants in races in the UCI ProTour calendar to have to meet the same requirements, especially for anti-doping and ethical conduct. The new designation will not affect entries into the Grand Tours since they will not be part of the 2008 ProTour.
The UCI's license commission will make its selections by the end of January.
Candidate "Wild Card" teams for 2008
Elk Haus-Simplon
Team Volksbank
Landbouwkrediet-Tönissteiner
Topsport Vlaanderen
PSK Whirlpool-Author
Andalucía-Cajasur
Karpin Galicia
Mitsubishi-Jartazi
Agritubel
Barloworld
Ceramica Flaminia Bossini Docce
Group Navigare
Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo
NGC Medical-OTC Industria Porte
Tinkoff Credit Systems
Skil-Shimano
Benfica
BMC Racing Team
Slipstream Chipotle presented by H30
Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli
