i imagine just a technicality that will be resolved with a jersey redesign. or an appeal, but the uci are dicks, so caving will be the most likely resolution.
edit - evidently not. huh:
Kathy Sessler sent this more detailed update about what not having trade team status means along with the actual jersey designs that Greg Minnaar, Josh Bryceland and Steve Peat will be using in 2015.
We are disappointed that the Santa Cruz Syndicate was denied trade team status. We really wanted things to work out and we worked very hard with Fox, O'Neal and Royal to have them conform to a Syndicate template to create unity in the graphic layout, yet allowing each company to put their own twist on the design to try to retain a little bit of individuality for their brand. We feel we achieved an "overall look."
It is because of the Syndicate that the rule exists as written rather than making the jerseys identical for the teams. We've been very grateful in years past that UCI made this rule more lenient to accommodate us and that we have been granted the trade team status each year. This year UCI felt the jerseys didn't have an overall look. It is up to them to make rules and interpret and enforce, or grant wiggle room within the rule, and they have done this in the past for us. It simply is a case of us not fitting the UCI perception of what the rule means to them at this time. I'm sure there will be people who agree and disagree with their stance, and that is okay. We simply couldn't take the color off Greg and Steve's jersey to meet their request.
UCI's rule:
All riders within a team are obliged to wear clothing that has identical major sponsor placement, layout and overall look, although the colours of men and womens outfit can be different. In this case two designs must be submitted.
For us not to be an elite team is unfortunate and I like to look at the positive side. We will pay more for tech space, but that money we pay will go directly to the race promoter and help them, rather than getting the 80m2 space for free that we get by being a trade team. We won't be in a premiere location for tech space, but Devinci and Giant will be in the same boat as us, as far as I understand. So fans will have to seek us out! However I think Ratboy will be easy to find!
We obviously won't get points towards a team overall, but downhill is an individual sport anyway, so I'm not bothered by this. That, and we don't have a girl on the Syndicate, so we would have a tough time earning points to be the top trade team. We will have to have the riders' federations enter them rather than being able to use the nice online entry system that UCI has for trade teams. This is what we did before trade team status so we just go back to the old ways. We will miss the rainbow passes that help get us access to crucial work areas where we need to be.
All and all we will be okay without the trade team status, but we will miss the nice benefits and would have preferred to remain a trade team.