Contador to stay at Astana as UCI renews registration

Cycling's governing body, the UCI, has this evening confirmed that it has renewed Team Astana's registration for 2010, meaning that the Kazakhstan-based outfit will keep its ProTour licence for 2010, as well as the services of Tour de France winner Alberto Contador.

The Spaniard, linked with a number of other teams in recent weeks, said last week said that he planned to see out his current contract with Astana in 2010, subject to its license being renewed.

Although the team still needs to furnish the financial guarantees that the UCI requested yesterday, the fact that its registration has been renewed represents a vote of confidence in the team, which currently tops the UCI world rankings.

The Astana designation may disappear, however, as a result of the team being backed next year by state holding company Samruk-Kazyna, whose name it is expected to adopt.

News of Astana’s registration means that another piece of the close-season jigsaw may well have fallen into place. With Contador presumably staying where he is, it means that Bradley Wiggins will likely be held to the last year of his contract at Garmin-Slipstream instead of being released to join Team Sky.