June 30, 2006 – It has just been reported on Dutch TV that the Dutch Astana-Würth team has left the Tour de France. With five of its riders being listed as part of Operacion Puerto – Sergio Paulinho, Isidro Nozal, Allan Davis, Alberto Contador and Joseba Beloki – and with allegations against several others, the team simply would not have enough riders to compete.

The team’s management company, Active Bay, confirmed the news by way of a press release shortly after, saying that as a result of “the content of the dossier sent to Spanish authorities, Active Bay has decided, in accordance with the Ethical Code signed between the UCI ProTour’s teams, to withdraw from the Tour de France.”