Boonen missing from Quick Step Tour presentation

When the Quick Step team stepped onto the stage for the Tour de France team presentation in Monaco on Thursday, there was no Tom Boonen among its ranks. Instead, Australian Allan Davis joined the eight others from the Belgian team for the ceremony.

Boonen took his case to the Court of Arbitration of the French Olympic Committee on Thursday to fight an exclusion from the race by organiser ASO (Amaury Sport Organisation). A decision is expected mid-day Friday, according to Sporza.be.

The race organisers said the Belgian champion was not welcome at the race because his behaviour did not fit with the image of the event. Boonen tested positive for cocaine in an out-of-competition doping control in April.

The drug is not banned out of competition, but it was the second year in a row that the Quick Step rider has been uninvited from the Tour because of a cocaine positive. He sat out last year's event.

Earlier this week a Superior Court judge ruled that his court was not competent to rule on the situation.