Tour de France riders are presented in Brest amongst hopes that the sports
image can be restored.

 BREST, FRANCE (JULY 3, 2008) ASO -
The riders competing in the Tour de France were presented in a
carnival atmosphere in Brest on Thursday (July 3), two days before the start
of this year's race.
    Still reeling from last year's doping affairs, competitors and
officials face the daunting task of restoring cycling's image when it starts
its three-week journey of more than 3,500km on Saturday. 
    A scandal-free race would lift its battered reputation but another
doping-hit edition in front of more than two billion television viewers would
be disastrous for an event that more than any other crystallises the plague of
drugs on sport. 
    Tour director Christian Prudhomme has stressed the importance of this
year's event, saying things will not be the same one way or another in a
months time when the race concludes.    
    All doping tests will be conducted by the the French Anti-Doping Agency
since the race has been put under the jurisdiction of the French federation
because of a long-standing row between organisers Amaury Sport Organisation
(ASO) and the International Cycling Union over who decides on the teams taking
part in their events. 
    ASO shook up the field by not inviting the Astana team because of their
past doping record, consequently leaving out last year's champion Alberto
Contador of Spain.  
    Astana were asked to leave the race last year after Kazakh Alexander
Vinokourov tested positive following his stage win in Albi. 
    Then leader Michael Rasmussen of Denmark was kicked out of the event
for allegedly lying on his training whereabouts and the Cofidis team withdrew
after Italian Cristian Moreni tested positive for testosterone. 
    Deprived of Astana, arguably the strongest outfit in the peloton, the
race is expected to be wide open and favourite Cadel Evans of Australia will
find it hard to clinch his first victory after finishing runner-up last year.

    For the first time since 1967, there will be no prologue and sprinters
will find it hard to shine in the first week, with mostly hilly stages
favouring the audacious. 
    More of a wise tactician than an attacker, Silence-Lotto's Evans
believes he will win the race in the time trials. 
    However, with a team unlikely to control the race as seven-times winner
Lance Armstrong's teams did from 1999 to 2005, Evans will be attacked from
everywhere. 
    Spaniard Alejandro Valverde of the Caisse d'Epargne team, who will be
backed up by 2006 champion Oscar Pereiro, will be among the top contenders
although he has been an under-achiever on the Tour.  
    Sixth overall last year, he won the warm-up event for the Tour, the
Dauphine-Libere, last month. 
    The Italian challenge will be led by Damiano Cunego, who has been
impressive this season and leads the UCI-ProTour standings after winning the
Amstel Gold Race. 
    The Lampre rider even decided to skip the Giro d'Italia this year to be
fully focus on the Tour. 
    Cunego's compatriot Ricardo Ricc is expected to shake up the peloton in
the mountain stages, with one of them ending in his country, in the Alpine
resort of Cuneo. 
    The Giro runner-up should be one of the top contenders for the
climbers' polka-dot jersey along with holder Juan Mauricio Soler of Colombia.

    One year after the Rasmussen scandal, the Rabobank team are also likely
to shine on the French roads with Russian Denis Menchov, but also three-times
world champion Oscar Freire and Spaniard Juan Antonio Flecha. 
    Others to watch include the CSC team, whose challenge will be led by
Spaniard Carlos Sastre and the Schleck brothers, Andy and Frank. 
    The sprinters' green jersey contenders will be battling it out without
last year's winner Tom Boonen, who has been barred from entering the race
because of his implication in a cocaine scandal.