MOSCOW, December 18 (R-Sport) – Two-time Vuelta a Espana champion Denis Menchov has reproached the UCI for their decision to deny his Katusha team a WorldTour competition license for 2013.

Last week, the international cycling body rejected the Russian team's application without giving a reason.

“Katusha is one of the best teams in the world,” Menchov told R-Sport. “It meets all the top division criteria and no one, of course, can understand this decision.”

The team, ranked second in the world and featuring world No. 1 rider Joaquim Rodriguez, has already obtained support from Russian Olympic Committee and European Cycling Union and is threatening legal action if the decision is not reversed.

Menchov, also a 2009 Giro d’Italia winner, joined Katusha at the start of this season and won the 20th stage of the Vuelta in 2012.