Basso and Mancebo thrown out of Tour

Strasbourg - Italy's Ivan Basso has been suspended by his team, CSC, and will not take part in the Tour de France which begins on Saturuday.

CSC team manager Bjarne Riis told reporters on Friday that Basso's link to an ongoing doping probe in Spain had forced the team's decision.

The name of Basso, the recent winner of the Tour of Italy and the Tour de France runner-up last year, is on a 58-strong list which Spanish investigators claim have been involved in blood doping.

Another race favourite, Jan Ullrich, the 1997 Tour winner, as well as Francisco Mancebo, who finished fourth in 2005, have also been pulled out of the race by their teams.

CSC team manager Riis, a winner of the Tour in 1996 when he finished ahead of Ullrich, told Danish radio: "It's my responsibility to make this decision and suspend Ivan from the race.

"I have to think about the team, that is now the most important thing. I trust Ivan Basso, but now it is up to him and his lawyers to show he has nothing to do with this affair."