Cipollini set for Tour 'au revoir'
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Cipollini has 12 career stage wins on the Tour.
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| 2004 TOUR DE FRANCE |
U.S. Postal Service (U.S), Cofidis, Fdjeux.com, AG2r Prevoyance, Credit Agricole, Brioches La Boulangere, RAGT Semences-MG Rover (France), Saeco, Fassa Bortolo, Alessio-Bianchi, Domina Vacanze (Italy), Euskaltel, Banesto,
Liberty Seguros, Kelme (Spain), Quick Step-Davitamon, Lotto-Domo (Belgium), T-Mobile, Gerolsteiner (Germany), Team CSC (Denmark), Rabobank (Netherlands), Phonak (Switzerland).
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PARIS, France -- Former world champion Mario Cipollini looks set to ride in this year's Tour de France after his Domina Vacanze team were granted one of eight wild card places.
The Italian was controversially missing from last season's race because race organizers said he had never finished the Tour.
Domina Vacanze were relegated from cycling's top rank of teams at the end of last season due to financial and administrative problems.
Spain's Kelme, the oldest team in the peloton, were also awarded a wild card despite their second division status on condition that they reinforced their team.
"Domina Vacanza and Kelme were relegated to the second division for financial reasons not because of the quality of their riders," said Tour director Jean-Marie Leblanc.
Four French teams were selected on Friday: AG2r Prevoyance, Credit Agricole, Brioches La Boulangere and RAGT Semences.
Phonak of Switzerland and Belgium's Lotto-Domo completed the eight wild cards to join the 14 best teams from 2003 in the July race.
Last year Cipollini, a specialist sprinter with 12 career Tour stage victories and a record 42 stage wins in the Giro d'Italia, called the Tour a "dictatorship."
But last month the 36-year-old asked Tour organizers to grant him a farewell appearance before the end of his career.
"Domina Vacanza have been selected because they have a good mountain specialist, Michele Scarponi, and because of a personal request from Mario Cipollini," said Leblanc.
U.S. Postal will once again be the team to beat as they seek to carry Lance Armstrong to a record sixth successive victory.
