Astana Left Off Tour de France Invite List

The International Cycling Union (UCI) and ASO have been at odds since the Tour de France organisers refused to be part of the ProTour.

All of cycling's ProTour teams, barring Astana, were invited to compete in this year's Tour de France by organisers ASO on Thursday.

Astana, the team of last year's winner Alberto Contador of Spain, have been barred from entering by organisers the Amaury Sport Organisation because of their implication in doping scandals over the last two years.

"Astana, because they had already faulted, will not be in the Tour de France," Tour director Christian Prudhomme told Reuters.

"I want to make clear that this decision is aimed at the team, not at Alberto Contador but he happens to wear the Astana jersey."

Astana spokesman Philippe Maertens told Reuters that ASO's decision was not logical.

"Where is the logic? There are other teams who have doping records. Rabobank and Cofidis have faulted in last year's Tour," he said.

"We changed the team structure, we've done everything we could. The Tour de France is going to lose its value. Maybe Cadel Evans will win it this year but people are going to say 'yes he won but Levi Leipheimer was not there, Andreas Kloeden and Alberto Contador were not there," Maertens added.

The International Cycling Union (UCI) and ASO have been at odds since the Tour de France organisers refused to be part of the ProTour.

Under UCI regulations, all ProTour teams have a guaranteed place in the top races in the cycling calendar.

Three ProContinental teams - Slipstream, Barloworld and Agritubel - complete the 20-team field.

Agritubel is the French champion Christophe Moreau's team and Barloworld include Colombian Mauricio Soler, who won last year's polka-dot jersey for the best climber. Teams: AG2r-La Mondiale, Bouygues Telecom, Cofidis, Credit Agricole, Française des Jeux, Agritubel, Caisse d'Epargne, Euskaltel, Saunier Duval, Gerolsteiner, Milram, Quick Step, Silence-Lotto, Lampre, Liquigas, Team High Road, Slipstream, Team CSC, Rabobank, Barloworld.