Le Tour snub for Fuji

Fuji-Servetto are the only ProTour team to be left out of the Tour de France.

Past doping indiscretions count against Spanish team

Fuji-Servetto are the only ProTour team to be left out of the Tour de France. The Spanish outfit, formerly known as Saunier Duval, withdrew midway through last year's race after team leader Riccardo Ricco failed a doping test. Tour de France organisers, the Amaury Sports Organisation (ASO), had already prevented the rebranded Fuji-Servetto from entering last week's Paris-Nice, another of the races they own. That decision was upheld in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) where it was ruled that the team had damaged the Tour's image. "It's a natural selection. We have all the teams who took part in Paris-Nice," Tour director Christian Prudhomme told Reuters. "We do not change our policy. There will be no former Saunier Duval team at the start because they faulted in 2007 and 2008." All of the other ProTour teams have been invited by the ASO, as well as lower-ranked Skil-Shimano, Agritubel and Cervelo, the team of defending champion Carlos Sastre. As expected, Astana - whose current ranks include former winners Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador - return after being omitted last year. The Tour de France takes place from July 4 to 27. Teams (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 (US)
Lampre (Italy)
Liquigas (Italy)
Quick Step (Belgium)
Rabobank (Netherlands)
Silence-Lotto (Belgium)
Columbia-High Road (US)
Katusha (Russia)
Milram (Germany)
Saxo Bank (Denmark)
Skil-Shimano (Netherlands, ProContinental)
Agritubel (France, ProContinental)
Cervelo (Switzerland, ProContinental)