Organizers RCS Sport want to see Caja Rural-Seguros RGA in the Giro d'Italia. But not in 2016. With only four invitations and four Italian pro continental teams, the chance is minimal for the Spanish team.

On Wednesday, the Caja Rural management met RCS Sport in Milan to show their interest and get an impression of the situation ahead of a possible participation in the 2016 Giro. However, according to Biciciclismo, the Spanish team admits that the road to the Giro is very complicated. The first consequence of a non-selection is obvious: there will be no more signings. If the team was set to do both the Giro and the Vuelta, they would add a few more riders but are now likely to maintain their current 20-rider roster.

The confirmation of Dimension Data's WorldTour license is still missing but if the South African team will move up, the Giro can only grant four wildcards compared to five in 2015 when there was only 17 WorldTour teams. Another headache is that there are four Italian professional continental team , Androni, Nippo-Vini Fantini, Bardiani-CSF and Southeast (the latter two pending approval of their status). Southeast is the only team to be guaranteed a spot as the winner of the Coppa Italia, and Androni and Bardiani should not miss out. In fact, all three have been invited since 2011.

The fourth spot is the unknown as several foreign teams want to be at the start, mainly Bora-Argon 18 who could open the door for German TV rights to be sold, Team Roompot - the 2016 Giro starts in Holland - CCC Sprandi who did this year's race, and Caja Rural. One possibility would be to ask the UCI to increase the peloton from 22 to 23 teams which they did in 2011, but with the many crashes in 2015, that is unlikely to happen.

However, the Spanish team will not be empty-handed as there is a good chance for them to do the other big races organized by RCS, Tirreno-Adriatico, Milan-San Remo and Il Lombardia. The team could then make its Giro debut in 2017.

Regarding the invitations, Mauro Vegni, director of the Giro, has recognized his obligation to support Italian teams, but he had clarified that it cannot be the only guiding principle. "I have a moral and formal obligation to help our movement. That said, only Southeast who won the Coppa Italia, are guaranteed a spot in the Giro," he told Tuttobiciweb. He made it clear that he won't invite all four Italian teams (Androni, Nippo-Vini Fantini, Bardiani-CSF and Southeast). "It's not fair to have a concept of 'Italian teams have to do the Giro'. I cannot guarantee any team to be in the Giro d'Italia. It is a concept that I cannot accept. I repeat: I want to help, but I can not give gifts to anyone. And now it is clear that everyone has to get involved and create competitive teams. You will do the Giro if you have a good team and good riders," he said.

"It is still early to say (what teams will be selected). We are receiving many requests from many international teams and we will carefully assess the many dossiers we have received and will evaluate everything. If there are not any delays from the UCI, we will announce the names of the four teams in mid-January," he said.

Wilcards

2015: Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela, Bardiani-CSF, CCC Sprandi, Nippo-Vini Fantini and Southeast. 
2014: Bardiani-CSF, Colombia, Yellow Fluo, Androni-Venezuela. 
2013: Colombia, Vini Fantini, Bardiani-CSF, Androni -Giocattoli. 
2012: Androni Giocattoli, Colnago-CSF Inox, Farnese Vini, Team NetApp 
2011: Acqua & Sapone, Androni, Colnago, Geox, Farnese (Special permission for a field of 23 teams)