BREST, France—News briefs from the Tour de France one day before the start of the 2008 Tour:
—* Team CSC manager Bjarne Riis of Denmark was one of the main absentees from last year's Tour when he decided not to show up after confessing that his victory in 1996 had been obtained with the help of doping.
Back one year later at the start in Brest, he said: "I'm very happy to be back on the Tour again. Everybody remembers that last year, I was not in a condition, mentally and because of the circumstances, to help Team CSC on the Tour.
"This year I'm hoping to be able to bring my experience of the race and the sport to one of the best teams in the race."
Following his confession, organisers deleted Riis's name from the winners' list.
—* Quick Step team manager Patrick Lefevere, one of the leading advocates of the ProTour series, said he saw no point in his team to staying in the series sponsored by the International Cycling Union (UCI) next season.
"Our sponsors don't see why they should stay in the ProTour as we could see our invitations to some leading races turned down," the Belgian manager said.
A long-running feud between the UCI and the leading race organisers has left the biggest races out of the ProTour.
"I believe in the ProTour if everybody takes part in it. The UCI must understand we can no longer go on like this", he said.
The Tour and all the races held by its organiser are not part of the ProTour this season.
—* The relentless rise in oil prices in recent months has been a major burden on professional cycling teams, accounting for a rise of 15 percent of their oil petrol budget in 2008.
"As a pro cycling team, we cover some 1.2 millions km a year for a petrol budget of 140,000 euros ($219,800). This budget has gone up by 15 percent by some 30,000 euros," Bouygues Telecom team manager Jean-Rene Bernaudeau told Reuters.
Because of the rise, the French team decided to take one car fewer to each race.y.
—* Belgian champion and Tour of Flanders winner Stijn Devolder found himself the Quick Step team leader on the Tour de France after compatriot Tom Boonen was involved in a cocaine scandal last month.
"I'm here to win a stage, perhaps a mountain stage or the second time trial," he said.
Devolder added that he was not going for overall victory, but was hoping for a top 10 finish.
—* Credit Agricole sports director Serge Beucherie will follow his proteges on the Tour despite breaking his arm in a crash while riding his bike.
Beucherie is set to drive a team car along the 3,559.5 kms of the three-week stage race.
—* Organisers said 1,047 journalists are accredited to the Tour. "It is basically the same numbers as last year," a spokesman said.
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