(Updated July 29 — Astana-Wurth gets green light to race — CyclingNews) Tour de France organizers are seeking to ban the Astana-Wurth cycling team from the bike race this year after published reports link several members to a blood-doping probe in Spain.
If successful, the action would prohibit Kazahkstan's Alexandre Vinokourov, left — a leading contender this year — from taking part in the race that starts in Strasbourg on Saturday.
ASO, which runs the race, has asked the Court of Arbitration of Sport to ban the Astana-Wurth team. It's manager was arrested in the Operacion Puerto blood-doping raid last month, which prompted Liberty Seguros to pull out as the team's main sponsor, to be replaced by Astana.
The Spanish newspaper El Pais reported over the weekend that up to 15 cyclists were identified on the medical records of Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes, the main subject of the probe. The documents have not been released to the public by the courts, however.
Earlier, ASO has asked the Union Cycliste International (UCI) to ban the team from the Tour, but UCI officials said they didn't have any hard evidence from the courts — just newspaper reports — that any questionable shenanigans were going on.
Astana-Wurth also has gone to the Swiss Court of Arbitration of Sport to block ASO's move.
Meanwhile, until the CAS decides the issue, Astana-Wurth is out of the race. Eurosport reports the team will not participate in the “team presentation on Thursday.
(Update: July 29 — Check that; ASO changes its mind and allows Astana-Wurth into the “grand presentation.” Says Vinokourov:
“Getting ready in these conditions is not very good. But the important thing is that we are here and if we are accepted at the start line, our morale will improve from day-to-day.”)
More at CyclingNews and VeloNews.
Recent Comments