New Irish team Aqua Blue Sport awarded UCI Pro Continental Licence

The UCI have confirmed that Aqua Blue Sport are amongst the teams who have been awarded a Professional Continental Team licence thereby becoming the first Irish team to race at that level.

The team was established by Irish businessman Rick Delaney, who has guaranteed financial backing for the team for four years, with rolling two year contracts for the riders.

The ultimate goal for Team Aqua Blue Sport is to participate at a World Tour level by year four and compete in the Tour de France, but for now sights are firmly set on the 2017 Professional Continental season which so far includes Milan-San Remo, Amstel Gold and the Tour of Britain.

The governing body also revealed 17 teams who have been granted a UCI WorldTour licence for a period of two years. This followed on from a full review of all criteria for attribution (administrative, ethical, financial and sporting), the Licence Commission.

The UCI said that the application from Team TJ SPORT (TJS – CHN) for UCI WorldTeam status is still under review by the Licence Commission.

World Tour teams 2017 (team/UCI code/nationality)
– AG2R LA MONDIALE (ALM – FRA)
– ASTANA PRO TEAM (AST – KAZ)
– BMC RACING TEAM (BMC – USA)
– BORA – HANSGROHE (BOH – GER)
– CANNONDALE DRAPAC PRO CYCLING TEAM (CDT – USA)
– TEAM DIMENSION DATA (DDD – RSA)
– QUICK – STEP FLOORS (QST – BEL)
– FDJ (FDJ – FRA)
– LOTTO SOUDAL (LTS – BEL)
– MOVISTAR TEAM (MOV – ESP)
– ORICA – BIKEEXCHANGE (OBE – AUS)
– BAHRAIN-MERIDA (TBM – BRN)
– TEAM KATUSHA ALPECIN (KAT – SUI)
– TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO (TLJ – NED)
– TEAM SKY (SKY – GBR)
– TEAM SUNWEB (SUN – GER)
– TREK SEGAFREDO (TFS – USA)

UCI Professional Continental Teams 2017 (team/UCI code/nationality):
– AQUA BLUE SPORT (ABS – IRL)
– BARDIANI CSF (BAR – ITA)
– CAJA RURAL – SEGUROS RGA (CJR – ESP)
– CCC SPRANDI POLKOWICE (CCC – POL)
– COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS (COF – FRA)
– DELKO MARSEILLE PROVENCE KTM (DMP – FRA)
– DIRECT ENERGIE (DEN – FRA)
– FORTUNEO – VITAL CONCEPT (FVC – FRA)
– GAZPROM – RUSVELO (GAZ – RUS)
– ISRAEL CYCLING ACADEMY (ICA – ISR)
– MANZANA POSTOBON (MZN – COL)
– NIPPO – VINI FANTINI (NIP – ITA)
– ROOMPOT – NEDERLANDSE LOTERIJ (RNL – NED)
– SPORT VLAANDEREN – BALOISE (SVB – BEL)
– TEAM NOVO NORDISK (TNN – USA)
– UNITEDHEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL CYCLING TEAM (UHC – USA)
– VERANDA’S WILLEMS CRELAN (VWC – BEL)
– WANTY – GROUPE GOBERT (WGG – BEL)
– WB VERANCLASSIC AQUA PROTECT (WVA – BEL)
– WILIER TRIESTINA (WIL – ITA)