The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has confirmed that its Licence Commission will make a decision on whether to grant the Astana Pro Team and Team Europcar a WorldTour licence for 2015 by 10 December, at the latest. On 16 October, the UCI asked its Licence Commission to review the management and anti-doping policies of the Astana team, after three of its riders reported doping infractions in a short time period. Since then, two more riders have reported doping infractions.

On 26 November, Artur Fedosseyev has become the fifth Astana Pro Team cyclist to report an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) this year, after a sample collected that the Tour de l’Ain on 16 August 2014 tested positive for anabolic androgenic steroids. Fedosseyev’s positive follows Victor Okishev’s AAF, reported on 21 November, also for anabolic androgenic steroids. Ilya Davidenok returned an AAF, also for anabolic androgenic steroids, following the Tour de l’Avenir on 28 August. Maxim and Valentin Iglinskiy tested positive for erythropoietin (EPO) during August.

Europcar Team Manager Jean-René Bernaudeau has said that he is struggling to find the final 5% of the team’s budget in order to allow it to compete at WorldTour level. “I went to the UCI Licence Commission and my record is a little hot because my budget is tight”, Bernaudeau told AFP on 1 December. “The licence is pending, but I do not think that we are alone in this situation”. Europcar has already confirmed that it will not renew its sponsorship of the team at the end of 2015.

You can view the UCI’s statement on which teams it has granted a WorldTour licence to for 2015 by clicking here.