Summary Nibali says, "My opinion is that it's all about politics. It's not anything to do with the riders."
ROME: (AP) - Tour de France champion Vincenzo Nibali believes the UCI s request to withdraw the World Tour license of his Astana team following a series of doping cases is "all about politics."
Speaking to Italian state TV Rai before the Eroica race, Nibali says, "My opinion is that it s all about politics. It s not anything to do with the riders."
After reviewing an audit of Astana, the UCI announced last week it was referring the case to its licensing commission and requesting the team be stripped of its license.
Nibali adds that if the license is withdrawn, "we ll have to go and ask for invitations to races, my professionalism isn t under discussion."
He s confident Tour organizers would invite Astana even without a license, saying "I think their opinion will count a lot."
