An Open Door: RCS and High Road

[editor's note, by chris] Simultaneous posting! Battle of the High Road posts?

In a brief statement today, Zomegnan of the RCS said that the door to the Giro remains open to High Road.  Though they have selected 21 teams, there remains still one open spot left for the race.  Z said that they would like to offer the final spot to a team who can guarantee "sporting quality" and "respect for the rules."  Speaking of TMobile, he said, "in the past, there have been doping cases on the team, of course, the management has changed, but we want to wait and see."  

For Astana, the news is less promising.  Zomegnan reminds us, "last season, Astana provoked a grave crisis in cycling."  The team has now changed management, he says, but the RCS is concerned about the quality of the roster Bruyneel might send to Italy.  "For our decision, the quality of the team remains crucial.  The captains of Astana - Contador and Leipheimer - think more of the Tour."

In somewhat related news, High Road is changing their nationality from German to American.  Given Stapleton's central position and the virtual disintegration of German cycling, this development comes as little surprise.