The Astana-Wurth - Tour de France soap-opera continues. Only a few days after giving the Kazakh team the cruel verdict of elimination from the Grand Boucle, it seems that the French organizers changed their minds. But not completely. Yesterday, Jean-Marie LeBlanc and the other tour managers decided to not let Astana Wurth participate in the opening ceremony. Still, it seems that Vinokourov and his teammates are ready to fight till the end to get in the competition.

More, the former Liberty Seguros team was the first one in this year's edition of the Tour that underwent all medical tests. The results showed no trace of banned substances to any of the riders. Still, the team's involvement in the "Saiz affair" seems to matter more than that. They bring a bad name to the Tour and that's why they were prevented from running in the competition.

Their acceptance at the start line might be the sign of reconciliation between the Tour de France organizers and Astana-Wurth. Still, their presence in the ceremony does not necessarily mean that they will be allowed to compete. Friday will give us the last decision regarding this subject. In the meantime, Vinokourov - who cannot wait to get on board, since he has a great chance in the Tour with Lance Armstrong retired - urges the Grand Boucle officials and media to let the team compete.

"There is not a single proof against our team. The press suspects people, but the press could also decide the general classification if it wanted! Getting ready in these conditions is not very good. But the important thing is that we are here and if we are accepted at the start line, our morale will improve from day-to-day", said Vinokourov.

Following the list of 58 cyclists involved in the whole scandal, the Spanish authorities did not yet release any names. It is believed that most of them are not among the race favorites, but some details concern some big names, like Jan Ullrich and Oscar Sevilla. Any way, if Tour de France organizers are letting Jan and Oscar compete, it would be only honest to let Astana in, too. We'll just see about that tomorrow.