So now it appears that Astana-Würth will only find out its fate (as it relates to the Tour de France) in the next couple of weeks… Nothing like a last-minute decision. (We’re at just over 16 days left until the Tour starts, after all.)

Christian Prudhomme, Tour de France director, said to L’Equipe, “Today we’re still waiting on the [UCI ProTour’s] licensing commission, knowing full well that the owner of the team remains Manolo Saiz.” Saiz, who was arrested in relation to “Operacion Puerto” in May, stepped down from his managerial duties at the then-named Libery Seguros-Würth team, but that might not be enough for Tour organizers.

“We’ll wait and see what happens in the next two weeks,” continued Prudhomme, as there are rumors the “Operacion Puerto” investigators might release more names before the Tour starts. “We’re hoping that it comes out quickly so that the Tour can take place unperturbed. We know in any case that the Spanish government’s will to fight doping is clearly established.”

If that means more teams could be expelled, Prudhomme says those spots will not be filled with last-minute replacements. “That won’t be the case,” he said, “but the number of teams at the start is not a problem for us. Be there 150 or 200 riders in no way taints the prestige of the Tour. The peloton will always be the peloton and there will be escapes and heroes. We were 22 yesterday, we’re 21 today. And we’ll be what we need to be to take the start.”

“The Tour is fine,” Prudhomme said, “The danger is for cycling.” Indeed.