The UCI has granted Australia’s only WorldTour cycling team time to get its books in order for further evaluation
Michelton-Scott has won nine overall wins in the Tour Down Under since making its WorldTour debut at the coveted stage race in 2012.
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Philanthropist Gerry Ryan says Mitchelton-Scott will headline January’s Santos Tour Down Under despite the UCI insisting it still needs more information about the team’s proposed three-year licence.
Cycling’s governing body issued a statement claiming both the Australian men’s and women’s WorldTour teams are being evaluated after naming other teams that met the criteria.
The UCI issued 18 men’s licences this week.
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And seven women’s WorldTour licences were issued for the first time in history.
“The file of the UCI WorldTeam Mitchelton-Scott is still being evaluated by the UCI licence commission, and a decision will be issued as soon as possible,’’ said the UCI in a statement.
However, Ryan is confident Mitchelton-Scott would be granted its racing licence this week.
The Tour Down Under’s women’s and men’s stage race is a little more than a month away from the start gun being fired.
Ryan is also behind a $40 million project at Monarto.
“The team is registered it’s just that there’s a hiccup with the paperwork,’’ Ryan told The Advertiser.
“I spoke to Shayne (Bannan, general manager of Mitchelton-Scott) on Monday and he said the paperwork had been done, everything has been signed.”
The team became the first Australian outfit to be registered as a WorldTour team in 2012.
Simon Gerrans handed the team a win on its WorldTour debut in South Australia at the Tour Down Under in January 2012.
The team has since claimed five of the past eight men’s Tour Down Under stage races with their South African national champion Daryl Impey becoming the first consecutive overall winner of the event in January.
Mitchelton-Scott is also undefeated in the women’s Tour Down Under.
Amanda Spratt this year claimed a hat-trick of stage race wins since 2017 and Katrin Garfoot claimed the inaugural women’s event in 2016.
The men’s team this year had 35 victories.
The team has a roster of 35 men and women listed in its website.
Santos Tour Down Under officials have been contacted for comment.
2020 men’s UCI WorldTeams
AG2R la Mondiale, Astana pro Team, Bahrain – McLaren, Bora – Hansgrohe, CCC Team, Cofidis, Deceuninck – Quick – Step, EF Education First, Groupama – FDJ, Israel Cycling Academy, Lotto Soudal, Movistar Team, NTT Pro Cycling Team, Team Ineos, Team Jumbo – Visma, Team Sunweb, Trek – Segafredo, UAE Team Emirates; Pending : Mitchelton – Scott
2020 women’s UCI WorldTeams
Alé BTC Ljubljana, Canyon-SRAM, CCC-Liv, FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope, Movistar Team Women, Team Sunweb, Trek-Segafredo: Pending: Mitchelton-Scott