Cycling doping probe reopened in Spain

MADRID, Spain -- A Spanish court ordered the reopening of Operation Puerto, a widespread doping probe that has implicated some of cycling's biggest stars.

Spain's Provincial Court on Thursday decided to re-examine the case after investigative magistrate Antonio Serrano had closed it a year ago without issuing any indictments because Spain's new doping law was not in force when the case broke.

The investigation will now likely be sent back to Serrano.

The probe started when Spanish police raided clinics in Madrid and Zaragoza in May 2006 and found bags of blood, blood transfusion equipment and anabolic steroids.

More than 50 cyclists have been implicated. The case centers on sports doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, who was arrested in Madrid along with several other people on suspicion of providing doping services to cyclists.

The news came as devastated champion Alberto Contador slammed the "unfair" decision by race organizers to exclude his new team Astana from this year's Tour de France.

The Spaniard, who joined Astana at the end of last season, will be unable to defend his yellow jersey after Wednesday's decison by Amaury Sports Organization (ASO).

"I never thought that it would be possible not to do the Tour the France," Contador said.

"It is my race, I dream of that race. We are not invited. What can we do? It is a real blow for me and all of us at Astana. I think the decision to leave us out, and to do so on the basis of the team's past, is unfair.

"I'm afraid other sponsors can leave cycling because of what happened today. It is a sad day for cycling."

Another top Astana rider -- American Levi Leipheimer, who was third in last year's Tour -- expressed similar sentiments.

"I am in shock and I am very disappointed," Leipheimer said in a statement.

"Along with my friends, family and supporters, I can't understand why we are not allowed to take part in the Tour and defend Alberto's title with two other riders capable of winning, myself included. We are all left wondering."

Astana were at the center of major controversy in the 2007 Tour de France when team leader Alexandre Vinokourov and two other leading riders failed doping tests and the prevous year did not even start the race when five of their team were implicated in the Operation Puerto drugs scandal in Spain.

But the team effectively re-formed at the back end of last year, recruiting Lance Armstrong's former mention Johan Bruyneel as team chief and getting Contador and Leipheimer from the disbanded Discovery Channel team.

But this has proved to no avail, with the team snubbed by the Giro d'Italia (Tour of Italy) because of its infamous past and ASO who have also said they will not be welcome at any of the races they organize.

These include major events such as Paris-Nice, Paris-Roubaix and Liege-Bastogne-Liege, severely restricting Astana's options.

Astana's new manager Johan Bruyneel was at a loss to explain the decision to exclude his team.

"This decision is totally incomprehensible.

"Our current team has nothing to do with last year.

"We have spent 460,000 euros (672,500 US dollars) on the fight against doping. What more can we do?"

Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme denied that Contador was the focal point of the Astana ban.

"We don't part with the winner of the Tour for the fun of it, but it is the team he chose," Prudhomme said. "Contador was in no way targeted."

Astana spokesman Philippe Maertens said Contador's contract doesn't have an escape clause that applies to this situation, suggesting that the 25-year-old Spaniard is unlikely to be able to defend his title.

Maertens said Contador's clause allowed him to get out of his contract only if Astana got caught in a doping scandal. But since this is not a new doping scandal, the clause does not apply.

"We feel disbelief and bafflement, although we had an inkling after the Giro decision," Maertens said. "Sponsors may flee and it is not good for the fans either."

Aside from Contador and Leipheimer, other top Astana riders include Andreas Kloden of Germany, the runner-up in 2004 and '06.

"I am suffering because of the fact that others dope, get caught and we all get it in the neck," said Kloden in a furious entry to his Web site. E-mail to a friend

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