STRASBOURG, France – For the first time this decade, the Tour de France will begin its 2,300-mile journey to Paris in Strasbourg tomorrow without Lance Armstrong, who has eclipsed the race since 1999 after he was cured of testicular cancer.

With his strong team dedicated to helping him win each year, Armstrong predicted in his retirement speech on the Champs-Elysees last year that no other rider would control the race with such an iron will in the future. They would have to find their own way to win the marathon that was first held in 1903 as a publicity stunt and has since become France’s greatest event.

France in general, and the French press in particular, continue to believe that Armstrong’s victories were druginduced and unfounded stories have continued in the French press this week. Armstrong, not at the event, has denied all of the accusations, which have been variations of stories regularly brought to the French public’s attention, most of which have been decided in courts around the world in the American’s favor.

There is no doubt, however, that the 93rd event will step nervously up to the start ramp in the Place de Bordeaux Saturday, worried that the race will again have to combat a major drug scandal over its next three weeks to Paris.

The drug microscope is focused on Spain rather than Armstrong, and Friday the Court of Arbitration for Sport will decide whether the newly formed Astana-Wurth team can take part following their former manager Manolo Saiz’s alleged involvement in a police investigation in Madrid.

Saiz denys all allegations of purchasing drugs for use within his team, but in an attempt to enable his former Liberty Seguros squad to ride the Tour, he has suspended himself. The organisers have asked the team to withdraw voluntarily, but they feel victimised and have arrived in Strasbourg intent on starting.

Their main rider, Kazakhstan’s Alexandre Vinokourov, who has never failed a drugs test, finished third in the Tour de France in 2003 and fifth last year. Without Armstrong, he will start as one of six favourites to win the race on July 23.

The CAS are likely to agree with the team’s request, but the main worries for the organisation will remain amid fears that the Spanish judiciary will reveal a list of names believed to have been found during raids in Spain. Among those could be Tour favourites Jan Ullrich, Ivan Basso and Francisco Mancebo.

To pre-empt this, the International Cycling Union have requested that all riders sign a declaration that they are not involved in the Spanish affair and if later they are proved to have lied, they will then pay an undisclosed sum to their team by way of compensation as well as suffer longterm suspensions.