Alberto Contador, the winner of the 2007 Tour de France, may not be able to start this year's race. His team, Astana, has not been invited to participate in La Grande Boucle. The exclusion is valid for all races organized by ASO (Amaury Sport Organisation). ASO made the decision based on the doping scandals of the last two years.
Besides the defending champion Contador, this also spells bad news for American Levi Leipheimer, who was hoping to improve on his third-place finish last year, and German Andreas Klöden.
In a press release ASO stated that the organizers considered the "damages that this team has done to the Tour de France and to cycling in general. The team Astana has betrayed the organizer's confidence last year."
ASO recognized the changes having taken place in the management. They indicated they will follow Astana's efforts to stay free of affairs in 2008 "and could therefore be considered once again for inclusion in future editions [of ASO races]."
Astana had several doping cases last year with Matthias Kessler and most spectacularly in the Tour de France with Alexander Vinokourov and Andrey Kashechkin.
For Paris-Nice, also run by ASO, three Pro Continental teams have been included, with Agritubel, Slipstream Chipotle - H30 and Skil-Shimano
jonathanb715
02-13-08, 10:02 AM
You have to feel for Levi - he's got to be getting to the point where he probably doesn't have a lot of years left where he's realistically in contention.
If all sports were run on this basis, there'd be a good argument for excluding the A's and Yankees from baseball for a while......
JB
taxi777
02-13-08, 10:19 AM
You have to feel for Levi - he's got to be getting to the point where he probably doesn't have a lot of years left where he's realistically in contention.
If all sports were run on this basis, there'd be a good argument for excluding the A's and Yankees from baseball for a while......
JB
You're exactly right. I have a gut feeling that he's honest about no doping and probably trains harder and is as, or more discliplined than Lance was. It's just too bad what the doping thing has done to all sports in general.
outofshape
02-13-08, 10:31 AM
Levi seems to have bad luck. He is up here (at home in Santa Rosa) right now and is looking forward to the ToC.......
http://www.bikemonkey.net/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.post&postid=19
BottleRocket
02-13-08, 10:38 AM
I'm no Astana fan..........but, wow that's a bit extreme.
Great news for Slipstream and Paris-Nice
gpelpel
02-13-08, 11:02 AM
I am not surprised the Astana team is out of the TdF. I was surprised that the team was allowed to continue, period. Leipheimer and Contador signed because Bruynel was the new director and they tried to recreate the same group as Discovery Channel. Unfortunately the team top management and financiers have a heavy history behind them.
I feel bad for Leipheimer (Contador is part of Operacion Puerto scandal), I hope he has an option to switch team. I also feel the guy is honest and a nice one as well. I know I have thought the same about others before such as Hamilton, Basso and Landis, so there will always be a bit of skepticism in me.
I am for banning convicted sportsmen for life, in any sport as well as for super stiff financial fines for teams. That's what it will take to clean sport.
taxi777
02-13-08, 12:09 PM
I am not surprised the Astana team is out of the TdF. I was surprised that the team was allowed to continue, period. Leipheimer and Contador signed because Bruynel was the new director and they tried to recreate the same group as Discovery Channel. Unfortunately the team top management and financiers have a heavy history behind them.
I feel bad for Leipheimer (Contador is part of Operacion Puerto scandal), I hope he has an option to switch team. I also feel the guy is honest and a nice one as well. I know I have thought the same about others before such as Hamilton, Basso and Landis, so there will always be a bit of skepticism in me.
I am for banning convicted sportsmen for life, in any sport as well as for super stiff financial fines for teams. That's what it will take to clean sport.
Well put.;)
Ty.S
02-13-08, 02:00 PM
Surely Levi understood the possible implications of signing with Astana. No sense in trying to say " Why'd you do that" though, I mean if Team Anabolic Roids / HGH / EPO offered me a professional position, I'm certainly in no position to say no, and probably wouldn't.
Makes me wish Discovery could have worked something out. We'll just have to see I guess. Surely they can appeal the decision, since the two riders from last years tdf are serving out suspensions right now.
spingineer
02-13-08, 05:58 PM
I wonder how this would affect them on the Tour of California? More motivated? With them being out of Tour de France and Giro d'Italia, what else is there to shoot for?
It sure never gets boring with the cycling community.
dolophonic
02-13-08, 06:44 PM
You have to feel for Levi - he's got to be getting to the point where he probably doesn't have a lot of years left where he's realistically in contention.
JB
Take off the blinkers mate. Contador and Liephiemer were right next to Rasmusen the whole way.. plus the way he rode the final tt looked like he was running on high test fuel. He wasn't even out of breath when he crossed the line and was knocking out an interview for tv as quick as you like. Draw your own conclusions, i did.
jonathanb715
02-13-08, 06:47 PM
Take off the blinkers mate. Contador and Liephiemer were right next to Rasmusen the whole way.. plus the way he rode the final tt looked like he was running on high test fuel. He wasn't even out of breath when he crossed the line and was knocking out an interview for tv as quick as you like. Draw your own conclusions, i did.
Cool - no need for blood tests anymore! We'll just ask you if someone was doping.:rolleyes:
JB
Ty.S
02-13-08, 06:53 PM
LOL.
Well that kind of opinion is an unfortunate result of the current state of affairs in sports. Regardless of discipline any acomplishment can be called into question now. Even the officiating (refering to NBA ref scandal) is now up for grabs.
I don't think Levi is a epo head, simply because until he tests dirty, he's clean to me, same with everybody else, innocent until proven guilty. Last I checked adrenaline and heart were still legal. But thats all only my simple and humble opinion.
Gee3
02-14-08, 09:50 AM
It's interesting as to the reasoning behind their exclusion: their past, specifically the last two years. I guess the past of CSC (Riis' admission to doping), Cofidis (doping at TdF), Rabobank (Rasmussen), T-mobile/HighRoad (where to start....), etc. don't count so they are included in this year's Tour? Hhhmm...???
They even have the same strict doping program as CSC through Daamsgard... maybe they should have changed their name. Or maybe the ASO still has a grudge against Johan and the old Disco team...
$0.02
BigSean
02-14-08, 10:08 AM
The ASO is all about control. They are destroying the sport with their antics. As mentioned above T-Mobile/High Road was as bad if not worse then Astana, oh wait Vino came from T-Mobile.:rolleyes: Removing 3 of the top 5 contenders from the tour is assinine, specially since none have been proven to be doing anything wrong at all. The ASO is once again proving that they have no clue how to run a business.:fight:
DiabloScott
02-14-08, 10:36 AM
This is ASO's way of ensuring there will never be a repeat Tour winner... unless he's French
HA HA HA HA - I just peed my pants a little.
gpelpel
02-14-08, 10:42 AM
This is ASO's way of ensuring there will never be a repeat Tour winner... unless he's French
Here you go. Go FRANCE! Isn't our time for a winner? ... but who? Any French star rider on the horizon?
BigSean
02-14-08, 12:15 PM
Here you go. Go FRANCE! Isn't our time for a winner? ... but who? Any French star rider on the horizon?
Uhhhhhh, NO!:p
taxi777
02-14-08, 03:06 PM
Here you go. Go FRANCE! Isn't our time for a winner? ... but who? Any French star rider on the horizon?
I'll tell you who I've been secretly rooting for is Thomas Voeckler Lot a guts and fun to watch. Got the eye of the Tiger!;)
Pete