Spanish continental team Comunidad Valenciana could lose its wild-card bid to start the 2006 Tour de France following implication of its assistant sports director in an on-going doping investigation in Spain.

Comunidad Valenciana director Vicente Belda may not be smiling after this week

Photo: AFP (file photo)

The Spanish sports daily AS reported Wednesday that the Societe du Tour de France could rescind the team’s Tour invitation as soon as Thursday.

AS reported that the decision has already been made, but that Tour officials are waiting in part because of the funeral of Philippe Amaury, the owner of the media group that bears his name which includes the Tour, L´Equipe and Le Parisien. Amaury, 66, died of cancer on May 23 .

Ignacio Labarta, an assistant sports director with the long-running Spanish team, was among five people detained last week by Spanish authorities as part of the Operación Puerto blood-doping investigation. Others detained included doctors José Luis Merino Batres and Eufemiano Fuentes, Liberty Seguros-Würth team manager Manolo Saiz and Alberto León, an ex-mountain bike racer.

Earlier this year, the Tour selected Comunidad Valenciana – formerly known as Kelme - among its two wild-card bids that also included Agritubel, with the caveat that neither team get caught up in doping allegations.

In 2004, ex-Kelme rider Jesus Manzano alleged widespread doping practices within the team in a series of paid interviews with AS. Manzano has recently reappeared in the media after helping Spanish authorities tighten the net around Fuentes and Merino Batres.

AS also reported that Tour officials want to leave out the former Liberty Seguros-Würth team (expected to race Wednesday as Team Würth), but that decision is dependent upon a ruling from the UCI because the team is part of the 20-team ProTour league, which includes assured starting positions in the Tour de France and all ProTour races.

Gutiérrez said he’s not worried
Giro d’Italia runner-up José Enrique Gutiérrez (Phonak) said he’s not losing any sleep over connections between him and the alleged blood-doping ring in Spain.

Gutiérrez was among riders linked this week to alleged ring-leader Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes by the Spanish magazine Interviú.

“I am not worried because at the sporting level I am calm. The only thing is that they publish your names and I can’t do anything about that. Journalists can print want they want, but later they have to prove it,” Gutiérrez told the Spanish wires upon his return from Italy. “It´s something that´s hurting me and my sport. I am considering legal action, but right now I am going to enjoy this moment and we’ll see what happens later.”

Phonak officials said they are conducting an internal investigation of possible links between team riders and Fuentes.

Luxembourg, Bizikleta on tap
With the 89th Giro d’Italia firmly in the history books, racing kicks back into gear Wednesday with two stage races in Luxembourg and Spain.

The climb-laden, five-stage Euskal Bizikleta starts in Eibar in Spain’s Basque Country while the equally hilly Tour of Luxembourg opens with a short, 2.6km prologue in the capital.

Euskal Bizikleta is sure to get lots of media coverage with the debut of the jerseys for Team Würth, following the announcement last week that insurance giant Liberty Seguros was ending its title sponsorship with the team in light of a doping scandal churning in Spain.

The five-stage, 800km race features a mix of moderately steep climbs, a time trial and Saturday’s summit finish to Arrate that traditionally decides the winner.

Among the four ProTour teams, Euskaltel-Euskadi comes with a motivated team to race on home roads that includes Haimar Zubeldia, Samuel Sánchez, Iñigo Landaluze and Unai Etxebarria. Caisse d’Epargne-Illes Balears will line up with Joaquín Rodríguez and Pablo Lastras (star rider Alejandro Valverde is currently in the French Alps scouting stages ahead of the Tour de France).

Saunier Duval-Prodir will bring Koldo Gil and Francisco Ventosos while Würth will be looking to try to concentrate on the task at hand with Joseba Beloki, Aitor Osa and David Etxebarria.

The five-day Tour of Luxembourg will be highlighted by the pairing of brothers Frank and Andy Schleck (CSC), with the elder Frank scoring a major coup with victory at the Amstel Gold Race in April. Other big names expected to start include defending champion Laszlo Bodrogi and Jaan Kirsipuu (Crédit Agricole), Juan Antonio Flecha (Rabobank) and Olaf Pollack and Serguei Ivanov (T-Mobile).

Euskal Bizikleta
Stage 1 Eibar to Arrigorriaga, 165.5kmStage 2 Arrigorriaga to Ispaster, 174kmStage 3 Ispaster to Salinas de Leniz, 190.9kmStage 4a Salinas de Leniz to Savlatierra, 84.1kmStage 4b Savlatierra- Savlatierra (ITT), 21.2kmStage 5 Savlatierra to Santuario de Arrate, 157.7km

Tour of LuxembourgPrologue Luxembourg, 2.6kmStage 1 Luxembourg to Mondorf, 168.6kmStage 2 Schifflange to Differdange, 183.2kmStage 3 Wiltz to Diekirch 175,1 kmStage 4 Mersch to Luxembourg, 149.4km