Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme says it’s too early to talk about which teams will be in the 2008 Tour. There’s no guarantee that Tour champ Alberto Contador will be back to defend his title. VeloNews sat down with Prudhomme last week during a break at the Tour of Qatar to discuss Astana, Slipstream-Chipotle and how the Tour is seriously considering a grand depart in Qatar. Here are excerpts from the interview:

VeloNews: What is the status of selection teams for the 2008 Tour?

Christian Prudhomme: Nothing is certain. We are still studying the situation with the UCI, with the status of the races designed as historical interest and what this means to us. We will not make any decisions for at least several weeks. First we must think about Paris-Nice and the Classics. What’s sure is that teams will have to meet certain criteria such as a commitment to clean racing and a strong sporting desire. Between January and July, a lot can happen.

VN: There are some reports that the Tour is considering leaving out Astana and defending champion Alberto Contador?

CP: First off, I will say I have no problem with Alberto Contador. I will also say that Astana did a lot of damage to the Tour last year. Is it a new Astana? It’s too early to say if the new efforts by the team organization are working. We will study it further. I cannot guarantee that Contador will be in the Tour or not.

VN: Would the Tour eliminate individual riders it considers suspect?

CP: No. We will not exclude just one rider. It will not be this team goes if that rider stays home. It’s all or nothing. If there is a problem with a rider, the team is out.

VN: And what about the chances of Slipstream-Chipotle?

CP: We look on with interest at their project. I have spoken with Jonathan Vaughters. Their philosophy of how they run their team is in line with ours, on the same path that is the future of cycling. They have quality riders. We look positively on what they are building. A U.S. team is important for cycling. It’s an important market for cycling and for the Tour. We like the Americans in the race.

I have also spoken with David Millar. He is a rider who has paid for his mistakes and brings a positive message that the future of cycling can change its course. We want a clean Tour. Cycling cannot afford more scandals. Slipstream’s philosophy is the same philosophy of the future of cycling. They are not the only team. There are others. It’s the only way to go.

VN: What do you hope for 2008?

CP: We cannot afford any more doping scandals. The sport needs to regain its credibility. We hope for a clean Tour. The biological passport and these efforts are a step in the right direction. We must build from the base. The problems of cycling are the concern of all involved in the sport. We must be resolute.

You need to look at the big picture. Sometimes we are too close to the problem. Doping is not just in cycling, but in all sport, but no sport is doing more to fight the scourge of doping than cycling.

VN: Can you dream of a clean Tour without scandal in 2008?

CP: Of course we can, we must. It’s in the interests of all to have a clean Tour, to have clean sport. Every year we take the fight against doping. The biological passport is truly an advance. We hope that it will function well, that we can work with WADA, with the UCI. This will help cycling lose this cloud of suspicion. But it should be extended to all sport. Tennis, athletics, football, why not? Is only cycling doping?

Many accuse that since Festina, nothing has changed. But a lot has changed. It’s harder for the cheats to get through. I am encouraged by the biological passport, by the internal testing by the teams. All these are true advances. Cycling must erase this cloud of suspicion, but it’s up to cycling to prove itself. We have to be the ones to hunt out the suspicious ones.

VN: London was such a big success, is that helping the Tour?

CP: London was a big turning point for the Tour. Everyone saw in London what a big celebration of cycling the Tour can provide. There were 3 million people lining the streets. It was truly incredible. There are some people who only remember the bad news of last year’s Tour, but we are finding that there are just as many who remember the good, first half with the image of London. Last year’s Tour was like a coin, it had two sides, a good one and a bad one. We hope people remember the good that’s at the base of the Tour and cycling.

VN: You’ve seen an uptick in interest in the Tour despite the doping scandals?

CP: The Tour is truly universal. It offers the best of cycling. It’s a festival. Despite the problems of last year, they still want to be part of the experience of the Tour. We have more than 200 cities that want to host a stage. We have nearly a dozen cities who want to host the grand depart. They have already signed a contract to express interest. We have Rotterdam, Dusseldorf in Germany, Bilboa in Spain’s Basque Country, Liège, Lugano, Budapest, the Mediterranean island of Corsica, which has never hosted the Tour, Florence, Qatar and even Japan. The Japanese want to do a prologue of 5km around the imperial palace! Corsica is asking to host the grand depart and it’s never held a Tour stage ever. We are finding strong interest in the Tour.

VN: Aren’t Qatar and Japan too far away? Wasn’t there real interest in Canada or the Caribbean?

CP: We were seriously considering Quebec, but it was going to be this year or never. It was celebrating its 400th anniversary this year. We were also considering Guadaloupe (in the French Caribbean), but even with the Concorde, the flight would have been almost four hours. Without the Concorde, it’s all but impossible because it’s simply too far and too long.