From CyclingNews.com:

The Astana team was given a resounding vote of no confidence on Wednesday when the Tour de France organiser, Amaury Sport Organisation, announced that the team would not be invited to any of the ASO’s events. This means its star, Alberto Contador, will not be able to defend his titles in either the Tour or the upcoming Paris-Nice.

Team manager Johan Bruyneel had worked hard to distinquish this year’s squad from last year’s scandal ridden team, but the ASO either did not find their changes significant enough or chose to wait until the team’s new anti-doping measures have proved effective.

The news about the exclusion reached Alberto Contador in the fourth stage of the Volta a Mallorca. Driven from emotion, he attacked the peloton, caught the two-man breakaway of Rein Taaramae (Cofidis) and Jesús del Nero (Saunier Duval), and charged solo up the final climb. He yelled to the television camera, “Astana in the Tour!”.