Cycling team Astana invited to Giro d’Italia – report
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ROME (AFP) – Giro d’Italia organisers have performed a dramatic u-turn and invited the Kazakh-backed Astana cycling team to this year’s race, Italian daily La Gazzetta dello Sport on Sunday reported organisers as saying.
“Yes, I have invited Contador,” the Gazzetta quoted race organiser Angelo Zomegnan as saying in reference to Spanish Tour de France champion Alberto Contador, 25, the leader of Johan Bruyneel’s Astana team.
Contador and his teammates were initially and controversially not invited to either the Giro or the Tour by the respective race organisers earlier this year.
But a report Saturday in Gazzetta’s web edition had said that the team run by Bruyneel, who helped steer Lance Armstrong to seven Tour yellow jerseys, would finally join the roster of the May 10-June 1 race.
That initial report claimed their participation would depend on the inclusion of Contador, American Levi Leipheimer and German ace Andreas Kloeden – all three of whom have finished on the Tour de France podium.
Zomegnan, cited Saturday by Gazzetta, had said the decision would be taken after the final stage of the Tour of Romandie, currently being led by Kloeden.
“Astana remains a candidate to participate in the Giro. We have reserved the right to invite all teams right up till the last minute,” Zomegnan initially said.
The owners of the Giro d’Italia, RCS – who also own the Gazzetta – did not confirm nor deny the report but the paper then quoted Zomegnan to confirm their initial story.
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The heart-breaking news that greeted cycling fans this Valentine’s Day was that Astana will not be invited to participate in the 2008 Tour de France or any other ASO run races this year. Contador will not be able to defend his title as champion. German fans will not be able to see if Andreas Kloden can make it to the podium again and American fans won’t be able to watch Levi Leipheimer or Chris Horner ride in the biggest cycling event of the year.
