Tour exclusions eminent?

This is one way to fight doping: Don’t let ’em near your event.

And if your event happens to be the biggest bicycle race in the entire world, well, I guess you could say it would have an impact. Implicated? Stay home. Confessed? Stay home?

Not French? Stay home.

Just kidding on that last one. Kinda.

Holczer expects “something big” at ProTour meeting

Gerolsteiner Team Manager Hans-Michael Holczer expects that “something big will happen” before the Tour de France starts, in relation to the list of riders allegedly involved in Operación Puerto. The ProTour team managers are scheduled to meet with UCI President Pat McQuaid June 19.

T-Mobile’s technical director, Luuc Eisenga told the dpa that “it could be that the UCI has evaluated the 6000 page document from the Spanish investigators.”

The Kölner Express newspaper said that it is expected that the UCI will announce after the meeting which riders will not be allowed to ride the Tour this year because of their involvement in Operación Puerto. There is allegedly a list of 53 to 58 riders. It is further speculated that others who are not involved in the Spanish doping affair but who have confessed to being involved in the Telekom 1990s doping scandal, could also be rejected from the Tour – for example, Erik Zabel of Team Milram, Sport Director Rolf Aldag and Directeur Sportif Brian Holm of Team T-Mobile, and CSC Team Manager Bjarne Riis. Also mentioned in Walter Godefroot, advisor to Team Astana, who has denied any involvement with the Telekom 1990s doping scandal.

Source: cyclingnews.com