Luis León Sánchez can make a sigh of relief. Last night Astana received confirmation that they will remain in the WorldTour in 2015. The team has remained calm at their training camp in Calpe but now the team can continue their training with the knowledge that they are still part of the elite division.

Luis Leon Sanchez talked with BiciCiclismo in Diamante Beach Hotel in Calpe and did so with a smile on his face before he went for a 4-5-hour rider under the Alicante sun. The Spaniard explained how he received yesterday's news. "We had dinner at eight o'clock and I and one teammate left early to watch the Barcelona football match. There was much uncertainty. People at the dinner started to say that we still had a WorldTour license. At first I did not believe it. Then I realized that it was true. Giuseppe (Martinelli, sports director, ed.) confirmed the news and the press officers told us that they were going to release a statement. We were all happy," he said.

Although the team has tried not to be affected by the situation, it has not been easy, especially not in the wake of the latest information about the Padova investigation. "The situation was a little stressful because thing have been published and we did not know if they were true or not. The team did its best and had people who were devoted to providing the UCI with everything they needed. The riders tried to train and live a normal life and that's what we have done. We could only await the UCI decision."

For Sanchez, it was another uncomfortable situation after the issues that forced him to leave Belkin in 2013 and only save his career by joining Caja Rural for the 2014 season. "It's not nice to be in this situation and the riders have tried to evade everything that was said. In the end, we were a little nervous because it was said that the decision would be postponed," he told BiciCiclismo.

In the end, Astana will remain in the WorldTour, under the watchful eye of the UCI, maning that they can start their season at the Tour Down Under in January where Sanchez will make his debut.