Astana 1 – 0 Europcar
Breaking News: Astana is given a “probationary” licence, Europcar not.
Unfortunately, I don’t really have the time for a full article but it turns out that if you have 5 doped riders you are getting your “probationary” WorldTour licence. Funnily enough I don’t think there is such a think as a probationary licence. It seems that Astana are getting away with a slap on the wrist and they will be subjected to more rigorous doping controls.
As for Europcar, it seems that they don’t have the money. From what I understand, the UCI feel that Europcar will not have enough cash to cover all the expenses for the whole WorldTour season. So, it seems that they will be getting a Pro Continental licence, instead.
I really hope that Europcar will manage to get more sponsorship next year to join in the ranks of the WorldTour teams and Astana will not make a mess of this year, from a doping point of you, that will make cycling look like a sport of cheats.