On Wednesday Astana team manager Marc Biver has been informed by the UCI that his team will not be granted a Pro-Tour license for the 2007 season. According to French daily sports l'Equipe has rejected a license for the team because of a non-reglementary bank guarantee.

UCI president Pat McQuaid told cyclingnews.com about the reason for not granting Astana a Pro-Tour license: "Quite simply, they haven’t followed the regulations.” The UCI president continued by saying: “They [the Astana team] didn’t get their information in on time. It is as simple as that. The regulations are there for all the teams to follow. They know the times, they know the dates, they know what they need to get in and the correct paperwork wasn’t in on time.” McQuaid also told cyclingnews.com that Astana would become a second chance: “They have a recourse, yes,” McQuaid said. “They can ask to meet the license commission. It sits again on the 7th of December and they can ask to meet it again then. And if they wish, they can also go to CAS.”

McQuaid concluded with: "“From our point of view, we must follow the regulations because there is more than one team involved. It is not as if there is only one team applying for a license, after all. If we break the regulations for one and then don’t let the others into the ProTour, you understand what can happen then. The same rules are there for everybody and, as I said, they didn’t follow the rules.”

However a dissapointed Marc Biver told German website sport.ard.de: "We are not treated like the others [Biver meant the other teams that also applied for a Pro-Tour license, Unibet.com and Barloworld]." The former director of the Tour of Switzerland continued by saying: "We were the only team that had to give a bankguarantee for our complete budget of twelve million euros." On November 20, the deadline, 75% were covered and eight days later the guarantee was completed. Too late for the UCI.

UCI spokesman did not want to comment on the procedure and told sport.ard.de: "The decision about the awarding will be taken on December 11. Before we will say nothing," Carpani said.

Biver will appeal against the decision during a meetting with the UCI Pro-Tour license commission at december 7, but said he would not go to CAS with the case.

The 2006 winner of the Vuelta Espana, Alexander Vinokourov does not seem to be worried that Astana might not get a Pro-Tour license. Vinokourov told French daily sports l'Equipe: "It's all a political game." Vinokourov continued by saying: "The sports aspect does not count any longer. If they don't want us in the Pro-Tour, then it's their  problem." Vinokourov is certain that he will start in all big races: "As a continental team we will be invited everywhere. I will surely ride all big races."

Vinokourov thinks that the Pro-Tour might lose in this case: "At the end of the day it will be apparent to be that the Pro-Tour itself will be the big loser. Because then it will become apparent that the best teams are not necessarily part of the Pro-Tour circuit."

Walter Godefroot, advisor of the Astana team does not seem to be worried as well: "Becuase we have such a strong team, we will be allowed to race all classics and stage races."

Because the conflict between six national cycling federations, several race organizers and the UCI is far from over, the Astana team could be right. Time will tell what a Pro-Tour license is worth in the 2007 season. More coverage of the Pro-Tour conflict in the coming days.