Mauro Gianetti hopes Geox-TMC can land ProTour licence
Mauro Gianetti, general manager of new cycling outfit Geox-TMC, has said his team is still hopeful of being awarded a ProTour licence by the International Cycling Union (UCI) for the 2011 season.
It was recently reported by Italian website tuttobiciweb.it that Pat McQuaid, the UCI president, called Geox president Maurizio D'Angelo to tell him the team would have to settle for a ProContinental licence during its first competitive season.
But Gianetti, speaking to Cyclingnews, denied claims that any phone call had taken place.
"There was no phone call, I don’t know where they got that from. It’s rubbish," the manager said, before adding that Geox are still optimistic that the strength of their roster will grant them a ProTour classification.
"We’re confident of securing a ProTeam place because we believe the arrival of a major new sponsor like Geox is hugely significant and important for cycling. We’ve built a strong team with two major grand tour leaders: Carlos Sastre and Denis Menchov and
think we deserve a ProTeam place."
Team leaders strong enough for ProTour
Gianetti, who was Saunier Duval's directeur sportif between 2004 and 2008, said that Sastre and Menchov's credentials cannot be overlooked by the UCI, who ranked Geox in 17th place in its sporting hierarchy for 2011.
"It’s true we’re only ranked 17th in the UCI sporting criterion for 2011 but that’s because it’s based on results of 2009 and 2010. I don’t think it can be ignored that Sastre has won the Tour de France and Menchov won the Giro in 2009 and before that he
twice won the Vuelta. We perhaps don’t have a lot of points but that’s because the team is built around them and the best domestiques work for their leaders and don’t focus on scoring points."
Gianetti also said that Sastre's doping-free career could prove an important factor as the UCI makes its decision.
"Sastre is one of the few Tour de France winners never to be involved in a doping scandal. That’s significant and will hopefully be considered when it comes to the ProTeam slots."
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