Rik Verbrugghe, the new sports manager at IAM Cycling, has made it clear that the Swiss team has not applied for a WorldTour license. At the moment, the team intends to ride at the pro continental level in 2015.

IAM manager Rik Verbrugghe denies the rumours created by Spanish website Biciciclismo which claimed that IAM Cycling would get World our status in 2015.

"It is true that there is an open spot (after the merger between Garmin and Cannondale, ed.)," Verbrugghe told Het Nieuwsblad. "The License Committee of the International Cycling Union (UCI) now considers who has the best skills to become the 18th World Tour team. In that case, IAM is on an equal footing compared to the other. But we have not applied for a license. Only if the License Commission makes a proposal will we consider whether we want to join the WorldTour. At the moment, this is not the case."