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Will Relax-GAM receive Pro-Tour license?
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18.07.2007/ German and Swiss media reported this week that the Spanish Pro-Continental team Relax-GAM has been encouraged by UCI vice president Hein Verbruggen to request for a UCI Pro-Tour license. Relax-GAM has riders like Oscar Sevilla, Angel Vicioso, Santiago Perez and Francisco Mancebo on its roster and Belgian daily newspaper 'Het Laatste Nieuws' reported last week that the team is negotiating with Robert Heras about a contract for the 2008 season. 
 
 

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Former UCI president Hein Verbruggen (Picture: Cyclingheroes)

The news that it seems the UCI is encouraging Relax-GAM to request for a Pro-Tour license could intensify the conflict between the UCI and the organizers of the Grand Tours and could also fuel the conflict between several Pro-Tour teams. After a remark of an Relax-GAM official that the clients of Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes were not doped, but rather received medical treatment by Fuentes, several French and German Pro-Tour teams left the AIGCP meeting in London and founded a new working group. However Marc Biver, team manager of Astana said that he did not hear the remark of the Relax-GAM official and believes nobody said this during the AIGCP meeting in London.

According to German daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, UCI vice president Hein Verbruggen is encouraging Relax-GAM to request a Pro-Tour license. Verbruggen is the former presdident of the UCI and some sources say that the 66 year old Dutchman is still the one who pulls the strings at the International Cycling Federation.  ASO president Patrice Clerc said: "Whenever it looks like we are getting out of a crisis, certain people of the UCI want to get back into a crisis." Clerc said that these people have economic goals. Clerc added: "And if you ask what goals one of the former UCI presidents has, you will understand what I mean."

Verbruggen was the founder of the UCI Pro-Tour and was accused by former Telekom and Festina soigneur Jef D'hont of having detailed knowledge about systematic doping. In 2002 Verbruggen stepped down as a member of the board from the World Anti-Doping Agency after he was critized for trying to sabotage the work of WADA. WADA president Richard Pound hopes "that McQuaid [the current UCI president] distances himself from the former leadership circles at whose era the problems developed."

According to Süddeutsche the (official) reason that Verbruggen encouraged Relax-GAM to request a Pro-Tour license, is that there are only three Spanish Pro-Tour teams but five French teams with a Pro-Tour license. Nothing is decided yet but Gerolsteiner team manager Hans Michael Holcezer said: "its a real challenge for the UCI." T-Mobile press officer Christian Frommert told Süddeutsche: "With their self-conception it is almost logical that Relax has applied. But the code of ethics is not negotiable."

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