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Tour de France News for June 28, 2003

Edited by Chris Henry

UCI says no to Domina Vacanze

The last effort by Mario Cipollini and the Domina Vacanze-Elitron team to gain entrance into the Tour de France has fallen short, as the UCI today rejected the team's appeal of the Société du Tour de France's decision.

The team argued that the Tour de France organisers showed a preference toward nationality (i.e., selecting French teams) rather than sporting criteria which should have included Cipollini, the reigning world champion. Ultimately the UCI's three person panel rejected Domina Vacanze's appeal, ending definitively any last hopes that Cipo might appear at the prologue in Paris on July 5.

Galvez out of Tour

Spanish sprinter Isaac Galvez will definitely miss his Tour ride with Kelme-Costa Blanca, suffering still from a knee injury. Already deprived of its leader Oscar Sevilla, Kelme has now lost the talented Galvez, who represented one of the team's best hopes for a stage victory. Galvez will be replaced by climber Julian Usano.

Millar completes Tour reconnaissance

Cofidis leader David Millar filled in the missing stage in his reconnaissance of the Pyrénées mountain stages of the Tour de France this week, after completing training camps both alone and with his team prior to the Dauphiné Libéré. The Cofidis crew was in the mountains again this week, although MIllar missed some rides due to a brief illness.

"It's very, very hard, but better to know that," Millar told l'Equipe after completing the Pau-Bayonne parcours (stage 16) on Thursday. "I've realised that when you know the route, even if it's difficult, you're more at ease because you don't keep asking yourself when it will end."

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