Two days ago Giro d'Italia organizers RCS Sport sent out a list of teams that had applied for a wild card for the Italian grand tour. Surprisingly, the YellowFluo team, formerly known as Vini Fantini, was missing from the potential invitees but RCS has now told VeloNation that the team still has time to apply for a wildcard.

Yesterday many people speculated that the YellowFluo team which is the squad today known as Vini Fantini, had been penalised for its two doping cases from this year's Giro d'Italia when organizers RCS Sport sent out a list of teams that had applied for a wildcard invitation to this year's edition of the Italian grand tour. Luca Scinto's team was missing from the list which opened the door for much speculation.

However, YellowFluo remains a candidate to receive one of the three coveted berths in the Italian grand tour and their absence from the list has no relation to the doping cases of their former riders Danilo Di Luca and Mauro Santambrogio. The list was only a temporary one and there is still time for additional teams to put their hand up for the three-week race.

“What came out yesterday is just something about the teams that have applied until this point, returning the forms that RCS Sport has sent out to all the teams,” RCS spokesman Matteo Cavazzuti told VeloNation. “The closing date is actually December 18th, so it is possible that Yellow Fluo and other teams will reply in the next few days. The team still has three weeks to apply, so it’s definitely not the case that it has been blocked.”
 

The teams that have applied for a license so far are Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox, Caja Rural-RGA, Team Colombia, IAM Cycling, MTN-Qhubeka, Team NetApp-Endura, Team Novo Nordisk and UnitedHealtcare Pro Cycling teams who all hope to receive one of three open spots in the race. The fourth and final wildcard is reserved for Androni-Venezuela whose win in the 2013 Coppa Italia teams competition has earned them the right to ride Italy's major race.

As it has been the case in recent years, the teams will get early confirmation of their potential participation.

“It will be made in early January, the same as last year,” Cavazzuti stated. “The reason is that RCS Sport wants to give the selected teams the best possible chance to get ready for the race."

In 2013 the wildcards were given to Colombia, Vini Fantini and Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox.