After a time of confusion and doubt, Spaniard Oscar Pereiro has been confirmed by the Astana team to have a one-year contract for 2010. The move means that Pereiro is no longer facing retirement and will now ride alongside his compatriot Alberto Contador as he makes an attempt at his third Tour de France victory next July.
Earlier this week Pereiro denounced the Astana team at a press conference saying, "Probably this is my farewell. I say this because I am a realistic person: my lawyers are trying to find a way out and we are talking with several teams, but it's very difficult because I have a signed contract will come into force on 1 January. And I’d have to sign another contract before I end this one with Astana.”
“First they tried, we agreed, they told me that everything was ok and then they began to avoid me. Then the manager Yvon Sanquer asked me to renegotiate the agreement, the third winding down...”
He explained that Astana told him they lacked the funds to bring him on board: “They told me that their budget did not allow my engagement. I told them that I would put the matter in the hands of lawyers, and so I did.”
Now it appears as if the Kazakh team has made an about face on hiring the 2006 Tour de France winner. Whether the the team was able to find additional funding or they were forced to honor the signed contract by the rider's legal council is uncertain.