February 12, 2012 – The February 6 judgment by the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against Alberto Contador Velasco (Saxo Bank-SunGard) 2010 doping case found the Spanish cyclist guilty and issued a two-year retroactive ban.

Among the ramifications of this decision is the likelihood that his current team, Saxo Bank, will lose its UCI WorldTour licence. In that case, another team will take Saxo Bank’s place. The new team might be French-based Europcar where Canadian David Veilleux hangs his hat.

The CAS decision strips Contador of his 2010 Tour de France title that he won while riding for Astana. He also loses his 2011 Giro title and all of the points accumulated since the 2010 TdF while riding for his current team, Saxo Bank.

The team also loses Contador’s points, putting Saxo Bank’s licence in jeopardy. Contador alone was responsible for 471 (68%) of the 696 WorldTour points won by his team in 2011 according to Wikipedia. Without Contador’s points, the team slips from its current ninth place among 18 teams to dead last and far behind Vacansoleil-DCM which currently trails the pack with 369 points.

The UCI has already indicated that it is asking its licensing commission about whether to maintain Saxo Bank on the WorldTour circuit. But UCI president Pat McQuaid has apparently already suggested that the answer will likely be ‘no.’

If Saxo Bank goes, this will open up a spot for another team. Speculation is rife that French-based Team Europcar would be a likely choice to replace Saxo Bank on the WorldTour circuit. Europcar has already raced in the TdF and other WorldTour events with a wildcard invitation. And one of Europcar’s sponsors is Quebec City based Louis Garneau Sports Inc. Pedal reached the LGS Global Marketing Director, Pierre Perron, for his reaction.

“This is both good news and bad news for the team,” Perron told us, essentially confirming the rumours that Team Europcar expects to receive a WorldTour invitation. “We already have everything planned for 2012 with a focus on certain races. The injection of the WorldTour status is not an easy transition at this point and leaves the team with some tough decisions. Also a big financial investment is required to make the jump. And there’s the risk we might burn out some riders if they’re forced to play in the big leagues and they’re not prepared.”

“Last year was perfect with a focus on certain races and it was spectacular for both the Europcar and Garneau. I won’t be unhappy if things stay as they are. But if an invitation is forthcoming and the team accepts Canadian fans will likely be very happy.”

Jean-René Bernaudeau is the general manager of Team Europcar cycling team and fans can expect him to make an announcement in the coming days if the rumours are true.

Cyclismactu (in French) HERE.
2011 UCI WorldTour team rankings by Wikipedia HERE.
Team Europcar squad HERE.