Astana retained license because of recent clean slate: commission (Reuters)
By Julien Pretot PARIS (Reuters) – Astana, the team of Tour de France champion Vincenzo Nibali, retained their World Tour license because they stayed clear of doping scandals this season, the International Cycling Union’s (UCI) independent license commission said. The commission, whose reasoned decision was published by the UCI on Tuesday, also explained that Astana have committed to “undergo a fundamental reform in order to prevent the risks of doping”. The UCI had requested Astana to be stripped of their elite status, which guarantees an automatic spot in the Tour de France, but the independent panel decided against it on April 23 after reviewing an audit by the Institute of Sport Sciences of the University of Lausanne (ISSUL). The reasoned decision said that although “the ISSUL report … highlighted the flaws in this team in 2014”, there was room for improvement in the coming months.