Fuji-Servetto left out of Tour de France
Reuters | 03/18/2009 12:28 AM
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PARIS – Top-flight team Fuji-Servetto were left out of this year's Tour de France after last year's doping fiasco when organizers unveiled their selection on Tuesday.
Twenty teams will take part in the world's greatest stage race from July 4 to 27.
All the ProTour teams except Fuji-Servetto have been picked by Tour organizers Amaury Sport Organization (ASO), as well as lower-ranked Skil-Shimano, Agritubel and Cervelo, the team of 2008 winner Carlos Sastre.
Fuji-Servetto were barred from entering last week's ASO-owned Paris-Nice race and their appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) was rejected this month because it was ruled the team had damaged the Tour's image.
Saunier Duval, the team's sponsor last season, left the 2008 Tour de France after Italian rider Riccardo Ricco failed a dope test.
It was then revealed that another Italian on the team, Leonardo Piepoli, had tested positive for the latest generation of the blood-boosting drug EPO, CERA (Continuous Erythropoiesis Receptor Activator).
As expected, Astana return after being omitted last year because of their past doping record.
Teams (all ProTour unless stated):
AG2R La Mondiale (France)
Astana (Kazakhstan)
BBox Bouygues Telecom (France)
Caisse d'Epargne (Spain)
Cofidis (France)
Euskaltel-Euskadi (Spain)
Francaise des Jeux (France)
Garmin-Slipstream (U.S.)
Lampre (Italy)
Liquigas (Italy)
Quick Step (Belgium)
Rabobank (Netherlands)
Silence-Lotto (Belgium)
Columbia-High Road (U.S.)
Katusha (Russia)
Milram (Germany)
Saxo Bank (Denmark)
Skil-Shimano (Netherlands, ProContinental)
Agritubel (France, ProContinental )
Cervelo (Switzerland, ProContinental)
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