The UCI licensing board has announced the recipients of the latest batch of 4 year ProTour licenses.  A ProTour license allows teams a spot in all ProTour races, setting the stage for a team’s season.

Most of the teams are current ProTour license holders, reapplying when their 4 year license expired.  However, two teams – BMC and Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project – are new to the ProTour ranks.

BMC competed last season with Pro Continental status.  While holding a ProTour license gets you in the races, lack of one doesn’t necessarily keep you out.  Instead, non-ProTour teams can try for one of the wildcard spots.  Now, BMC does not have to worry about trying to get those wildcard spots.

If ever there was a shoe-in to receive a license, however, the Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project may just be it.  Consisting of Frank & Andy Schleck, Stuart O’Grady, and Jens Voigt among others, the team is poised to be a powerhouse next season.  There is still a possibility that Fabian Cancellara will also join his former Saxo Bank teammates.

With the two new additions came two teams that were denied their applications – Geox-TMC and Cofidis.

Geox-TMC has been particularly vocal about the decision.  Their roster would seem up to par on paper.  They’ve got Carlos Sastre – 2008 Tour de France winner – and Denis Menchov.  Menchov as among his palmares a 2009 win at the Giro, and a 2010 podim finish in the Tour de France.

From their own website, the UCI’s mission is;

The International Cycling Union (UCI) is cycling’s International Federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The UCI was founded in Paris in 1900.

The UCI administers and promotes the development of the eight disciplines of cycling all around the world (road, track, mountain bike, BMX, para-cycling, cyclo-cross, trials and indoor cycling). Over the last 10 years, the UCI has intensified its development activities on all five continents.

The UCI’s mission is to develop and promote cycling, in close collaboration with National Federations, be it as a competition sport and its associated values (effort, well-being and fair play), as a healthy recreational activity or as a means of transport.

Indications are coming out – as reported by Velonation and others – that Fabian Cancellara will stay with Saxo Bank-Sungard for the final year of his existing contract.  There have been several rumor about Fabian’s possible signing with the new Luxembourg team of Frank and Andy Schleck, or of a move to the Swiss BMC Racing team.

The Luxembourg move, however, was probably driven more by wishful thinking of the fans of the 2010 Tour de France lineup that Saxo Bank rode with – this writer included.  With a majority of the team jumping ship for new waters – and many of them following the Frank-n-Andy brotherhood – it seemed a reasonable move to speculate.

Objectively, the move to BMC actually would appear to be the more likely.  Fabian, as the Swiss national champ, moving to a Swiss team as a certain logic to it.

However, Cancellara himself has been quoted as saying “”I still have a contract, so I probably will not switch teams”  Even with this in mind, the Velonation article again fans the fires of speculation by stating:

While he has a valid contract, some reports suggest that Riis may need to secure extra money to pay Contador and others. If this is the case, releasing Cancellara would be one way to increase the budget.