The International Cycling Union (UCI) created more questions than answers when it released its list of teams competing for a first division, ProTeam license last week. How could a previously non-existent team that lacks a name lead the rankings? Why are the teams that were already granted multi-year licenses fighting yet again for a top spot? And what about the Grand Tour invitations?

The UCI issued a press release with three lists: teams granted first division licenses, teams granted second division licenses and a third that ranked 42 teams.

American team Garmin-Cervélo joined teams Sky, Rabobank and Omega Pharma-Lotto in making up the first list. All the teams' staff can breathe a sigh of relief because, for now, they are the only teams granted one of the available 18 first division licences.

Two American teams, United Healthcare and Team Type 1, made the second list of 13 teams and are guaranteed spots in the UCI's second division.

Six teams – RadioShack, Saxo Bank, AG2R, Lampre, Quick Step and Katusha – were left scratching their heads. They already had a multi-year first division license that took them through 2011, so why did the UCI not name them? They have to look to the third list. The third list of 42 ranked teams is where last week's press release starts to confuse even the die-hard cycling fans.

"The new system makes a selection on the criteria of ethics, the financial strength of teams and the team's administration," said UCI President Pat McQuaid last month. "Going further than before, it creates a ranking of teams based on their sporting values."

The UCI's plan is to grant the first 15 teams in the rankings a first division licence. That is good news for Lance Armstrong's RadioShack team, as well as Saxo Bank, Lampre and Katusha, but bad news for Quick Step (ranked 18th) and AG2R (20th). Those two teams have to fight for something they thought they already had, namely one of the remaining three licenses.

The UCI's license commission will award the remaining licenses to three of the five teams ranked 16th through 20th: Euskaltel, Geox, Quick Step, Cofidis and AG2R.

"After the first 20 teams, if you don't comply with the sporting criteria," said UCI's press officer, Enrico Carpani, "you should not be allowed to get a ProTeam licence."

Former top team Française des Jeux is ranked 21st and therefore out of the running, and so is Pegasus Sports, the emerging Australian team of Robbie McEwen.

So What about the Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project? Why does a team with no history and still no official name lead the rankings?

To rank the list, the UCI took into account the results from 2009 and 2010 of the best 15 riders that the team has signed. Luxembourg's team has signed Andy and Fränk Schleck, and (still unofficially) mega-winner Fabian Cancellara. All three of those riders left Saxo Bank, which would have paid dearly had it not signed Tour de France winner Alberto Contador. Team Saxo Bank director Bjarne Riis knows he is lucky to have already obtained Contador's points because his rider may face a doping suspension.

Team Vacansoleil rose up the charts in a similar manner. It gained the majority of its points from Riccardo Riccò and Ezequiel Mosquera. The problem is that Spaniard Mosquera tested positive for doping at the Vuelta a España while racing for Spanish team Xacobeo-Galicia. Luckily for Vacansoleil, Mosquera had already signed and he has not yet received a suspension.

Liquigas, Italy's super team, won two Grand Tours this year with Ivan Basso at the Giro d'Italia and Vincenzo Nibali at the Vuelta a España. So why is Liquigas only ranked ninth? It lost Daniele Bennati to Schleck's team, Roman Kreuziger (ninth at the Tour de France) to team Astana, and Manuel Quinziato to BMC Racing.

BMC Racing is smiling because it ranked 15th due to the results of Cadel Evans over the last two years. Plus, it made some smart signings with the likes of Taylor Phinney. That 15th spot should guarantee them a first division licence.

Will the smiles remain? They won't for some teams because the organisers of the Grand Tours – the Giro, the Tour and the Vuelta – still insist on inviting the teams they choose to their races, and not based on the UCI's 18 ProTeams and World Tour calendar. In fact, McQuaid became angry with the very suggestion that Giro d'Italia boss, Angelo Zomegnan, may not agree.

"If [Zomegnan] does not want the top 18 to 20 teams in his races, then, to be honest, he shouldn't be on the world calendar," said McQuaid last month. "Having the best teams, the best riders in the best races, is my desire, the UCI's desire and the media's desire."

The next step is for the UCI and the organizers to meet and agree with an invitation system. The UCI is going forward with its selection process and will have the final list of 18 first division teams by December 1.

UCI team sporting hierarchy 2011

1 Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project

2 Rabobank

3 Garmin-Cervélo

4 HTC-Highroad

5 Omega Pharma-Lotto

6 Lampre-ISD

7 Katusha

8 Sky

9 Liquigas-Cannondale

10 Saxo Bank SunGard

11 Team RadioShack

12 Vacansoleil-DCM

13 Pro Team Astana

14 Movistar

15 BMC Racing Team

16 Euskaltel-Euskadi

17 Geox-TMC

18 Quick Step

19 Cofidis

20 AG2R

––––––

21 FDJ

22 Saur-Sojasun

23 Pegasus Sports

24 Skil-Shimano

25 Acqua e Sapone

26 Colnago-CSF Inox

27 Europcar

28 Androni Giocattoli

29 Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator

30 Veranda's Willems-Accent

31 Team Type 1

32 CCC Polsat Polkowice

33 Bretagne-Schuller

34 Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli

35 Landbouwkrediet

36 United Healthcare

37 Team Netapp

38 Team SpiderTech

39 Caja Rural

40 Colombia Es Pasion-Café de Colombia

41 De Rosa-Ceramica Flaminia

42 Andalucía Caja Granada