Comunidad Valenciana says good-bye

By Antonio J. Salmerón

After being excluded by Vuelta a España organiser Victor Cordero, the Valencian Government has decided to terminate its sponsorship of the Comunidad Valenciana cycling team.

In an official statement, the Valencian Government said after being excluded from the Tour de France and Vuelta a España, it is no longer viable to project [the ideals of] sport through elite cycling. However, despite this drastic decision, the government guaranteed the ongoing support of cycling in general, oriented towards "the promotion of a healthy lifestyle".

In both cases, exclusions from the Tour de France and Vuelta a España were based on evidenced put forward by the Spanish Civil Guard and Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC), following the investigation known as 'Operación Puerto'. The investigation began on May 23 this year.