"The nine riders listed in the UCI communique - and whose names will now be struck off tomorrow's start list - are: Isidro Nozal, Allan Davis, Sergio Paulinho, Joseba Beloki, Alberto Contador (all Astana Wurth), Francisco Mancebo (AG2r), Ivan Basso (CSC), Oscar Sevilla and Jan Ullrich (both T-Mobile)."
Why so few? It seems that so far they made sure that Wurth would not have enough riders to start, and then tossed the second, third, and fourth place finishers from last year. That seems a little convenient and I am wondering what will come out in the next week. Maybe the Spanish investigators first concentrated on the Wurth riders and the biggest stars involved so that evidence against lesser riders has not yet been fully put together?
"The nine riders listed in the UCI communique - and whose names will now be struck off tomorrow's start list - are: Isidro Nozal, Allan Davis, Sergio Paulinho, Joseba Beloki, Alberto Contador (all Astana Wurth), Francisco Mancebo (AG2r), Ivan Basso (CSC), Oscar Sevilla and Jan Ullrich (both T-Mobile)."
Why so few? It seems that so far they made sure that Wurth would not have enough riders to start, and then tossed the second, third, and fourth place finishers from last year. That seems a little convenient and I am wondering what will come out in the next week. Maybe the Spanish investigators first concentrated on the Wurth riders and the biggest stars involved so that evidence against lesser riders has not yet been fully put together?
That is why when the DSs got together they decided not to allow a team to replace suspended riders. It wouldn't be fair to let a team replace a rider that was suspended before the start, while a team with a rider suspended after the start could not. Which then implies they are expecting more riders to be named during the tour and be expelled while on the road. Hinault also thinks it may be around 15-20 riders expelled before the tour ends.
