June 27, 2006 – An AP report has indicated that all 20 riders on the Spanish team Comunidad Valenciana volunteered their blood yesterday in an effort to clear their names following the team’s expulsion from the upcoming Tour de France.

The riders are reportedly upset they have been lumped together with other cyclists alleged to have taken drugs, and this blood test is to demonstrate to the public that it’s a false accusation.

Comunidad Valenciana was expelled from the Tour after director Jose Ignacio Labarta was arrested as part of the ongoing Operation “Puerto”. The blood tests taken yesterday will now be compared with those seized by authorities a month ago.