Pereiro's contract with Astana in doubt

Oscar Pereiro's future with Astana is in question, as the former Tour de France winner still has not had his signed contract confirmed by the Kazakh team. The winner of the 2006 Tour de France has turned the matter over to his lawyers.

Pereiro, 32, signed the contract for the coming year on November 12. He sent it to Olympus Sarl, the team's management company in Luxembourg. According to the Spanish website, AS.com, Olympus Sarl have subsequently approached the rider’s representatives to request that his salary be renegotiated, a move which hasn't pleased the rider.

The team has also not officially announced Pereiro's presence on the team nor invited him to its first training camp next week in Pisa, Italy.

Fearing the worst, Pereiro has contacted his legal representatives and asked them to consider his options, including making the UCI aware of the issue. The sport’s governing body only confirmed Astana’s membership of the ProTour last week having held concerns about the team’s financial security.

He was signed to be a helper for team captain and friend Alberto Contador. “I have not discussed this matter with Contador,” he said. “They signed me to help in the mountains, replacing Haimar Zubeldia,” he said. “Now I do not know what will happen.”

When Pereiro revealed last week he had signed with Astana, he also admitted that he’d turned down an offer from Quick Step to do so.

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