Cycling Team Europcar Applies to Join WorldTour

Pro Continental tour team Europcar has revealed it has applied to the International Cycling Union (UCI) for a place on next season’s WorldTour.

The French team are currently part of cycling’s second tier, but their title sponsor is keen for them to step up in order to guarantee participation in all of the sport’s biggest races.

Pro Continental teams have to rely on invites to events such as the three Grand Tours and while Europcar are a regular fixture in most French races, including the Tour de France, they regularly miss out on the likes of the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana.

Confirming to the Sud Ouest newspaper that the application has been lodged, Europcar team manager Jean-Rene Bernaudeau said: “Now we have to wait for the verdict. Our sponsor wanted to participate in all the big races, including the Vuelta a Espana.”

There have been 19 teams on the 2013 WorldTour but two of those, Euskaltel-Euskadi and Vacansoleil-DCM, are set to fold at the end of the season after failing to find replacements for departing sponsors.

The WorldTour has traditionally only had 18 teams, but it was expanded by one this year after Katusha successfully appealed against being left off the original list of 18 and were later added.

Should the UCI choose to return to an 18-team WorldTour, one place will become available for the 2014 campaign. Europcar are the current highest-ranked team on the Pro Continental tour.