Busted | Alberto Contador tested positive for a stimulant

[Phil06]

.

Positive Test for Contador May Cost Him Tour Title

Alberto Contador, a three-time winner of the Tour de France, tested positive for a banned substance on the final rest day of the Tour in July, according to a statement sent Wednesday by his spokesman, Jacinto Vidarte.

Contador, a Spaniard formerly on the Astana team, could lose the title he won this year and face a two-year suspension.

He learned about the positive test for the banned drug clenbuterol, a weight-loss and muscle-building drug, on Aug. 24, nearly a month after winning the Tour, the statement said. He had tested positive for the substance on July 21, one day before the race’s decisive mountain stage.

Contador, who has signed to ride for the Saxo Bank team next year, said he ingested the drug accidentally.

“The experts consulted so far have agreed also that this is a food-contamination case, especially considering the number of tests passed by Alberto Contador during the Tour de France,” his statement said.

Pat McQuaid, president of the International Cycling Union, did not immediately return phone calls, but the cycling union released a statement saying that Contador had been provisionally suspended and that his urine sample had a “very small concentration” of the banned drug.

“This case required further scientific investigation before any conclusion could be drawn,” the statement said.

Contador, 27, is widely known as the best stage racer in the world, having won each of cycling’s top three races: the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España. Despite a very public and testy battle with Lance Armstrong, his teammate at the time, for leadership of their Astana team, he won his second Tour in 2009.

This year, even after Armstrong took nearly the entire Astana team with him to his Team RadioShack, Contador won the Tour again, beating Andy Schleck by 39 seconds and retaining his spot as the sport’s top rider.

Contador, a national hero in his native Spain, is scheduled to speak about his positive test Thursday at a news conference in Pinto, his hometown. Though he never failed a drug test before, Contador in 2006 was initially implicated in a large-scale blood-doping ring in Spain. Later, the International Cycling Union cleared him of any wrongdoing.

At last year’s Tour, Contador reportedly set a speed record during one climb, prompting questions — including ones from the three-time winner Greg LeMond — about whether he was clean. In response, Contador said he had never taken performance-enhancing drugs and was against the doping that had weakened his sport’s credibility.

One of the biggest doping controversies hit the sport in 2006, when Floyd Landis won the Tour, then was stripped of the title after testing positive for synthetic testosterone. Landis had insisted that he had never used performance-enhancing drugs, but this spring he admitted using them.

If Contador is stripped of his Tour title, he will become the second rider to lose the title because of doping. And it looks as if he will have an uphill battle to retain that title.

The presence of the drug in an athlete’s system means that the athlete is disqualified from the day of the positive test forward, according to World Anti-Doping Agency rules. But if it is proven that the ingestion of the drug was unintentional and that the athlete was not at fault, that ban could be reduced to zero in rare cases, antidoping experts say.

Traces of clenbuterol have been found in nutritional supplements. The swimmer Jessica Hardy missed the 2008 Olympics after testing positive for the drug; she said she had taken a contaminated supplement. An arbitration panel later ruled that her claim was true and reduced her two-year ban to one year.

New York Times Online http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/30/sport ... .html?_r=1

[Phil06]

A history of Doping in Cycling http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_do ... in_cycling

[Donny B.]

Shock horror!

[Logorrhea]

Yeah, surprise surprise surprise.

Only the Schleck brothers to go (though either one of them will do) and its a clean sweep.

[sarah_lennon]

Just let them all dope and be done with it!

[Donny B.]

Just let them all dope and be done with it!

Thought that was what's already happening!

[fourthirtythree]

I love this quote from teh wikis "The acceptance of drug-taking in the Tour de France was so complete by 1930 that the rule book, distributed by Henri Desgrange, reminded riders that drugs would not be provided by the organisers.[20]" perhaps we should move to a point where the organisers provide drugs again?

Charlie Mottet didn't take drugs I'm told. Can't think of anyone after that.

[jezzer]

The concentration of the drug is miniscule and the drug itself would be suitable for improving your body muscle during training - it's unlikely to have been taken during the race. The most likely scenario (IMO) is that he was taking this stuff during training, the team froze some of his blood at the time (probably after testing it and finding nothing in it) and kept it for transfusions during the race (widely practiced activity by all accounts).

They didn't count on the fact that the authorities' lab was a lot more precise at picking up tiny concentrations of these drugs. It's probably not the best drug you could take for performance enhancement, but because there are plenty of food contamination precedents (it's illegally given to pigs and cows to improve meat quality) you can always claim you were poisoned by a steak you ate (exactly what Contador is doing).

The chances of it ACTUALLY being an accident are ridiculousyl small, IMO. I doubt, though, he was taking anything during the race (unless the transfusions were to mask some other cr@p he was taking).

What a shame. There were some signs that cycling was getting it's sh*t in order and that the doping problem was very contained if not totally eliminated. Hard to know what we can believe now.

[jezzer]

Mosquera now also caught, for a masking agent of EPO.

On one hand, it's bad news for cycling. On the other hand, they're catching people and making it public - no matter how high-profile.

[ronk]

The chances of it ACTUALLY being an accident are ridiculousyl small, IMO. I doubt, though, he was taking anything during the race (unless the transfusions were to mask some other cr@p he was taking).

Blood doping is illegal and dangerous. Being caught this way would show that he's cheating in more ways than one. Blood doping and taking drugs out of competition.

This would suggest a relatively advanced program for doping, which would fit in with what we know about cycling.

[claire_m]

I'm disappointed. I love watching the Tour de France, but after Vinokourov, I feel that I can never believe what I'm watching. I have to always ask 'is he on drugs'? I have one or two heroes of cycling and if they were ever caught, I think it would be a long time before I watched it again.

It just makes me mad though - why do people think they can get away with it?

[Donny B.]

I'm disappointed. I love watching the Tour de France, but after Vinokourov, I feel that I can never believe what I'm watching. I have to always ask 'is he on drugs'? I have one or two heroes of cycling and if they were ever caught, I think it would be a long time before I watched it again.

It just makes me mad though - why do people think they can get away with it?

Cause in a lot of cases they do!

[fourthirtythree]

I'm disappointed. I love watching the Tour de France, but after Vinokourov, I feel that I can never believe what I'm watching. I have to always ask 'is he on drugs'? I have one or two heroes of cycling and if they were ever caught, I think it would be a long time before I watched it again.

It just makes me mad though - why do people think they can get away with it?

Well you know the old quote about only taking drugs when it's absolutely necessary. Which is pretty much all the time...

[Phil06]

Lemond shocked by Contador positive

American surprised Contador would risk all

Three-time Tour de France winner and strong anti-doping advocate Greg LeMond has reacted with surprise to the news that Alberto Contador (Astana) has tested positive for clenbuterol.

“I find it hard to believe that a professional like Alberto Contador would risk a detectable drug and I can’t believe how many people have left a certain team and then gone positive,” LeMond told Cyclingnews after hearing the news.

Contador was tested several times during this year’s Tour de France but traces of clenbuterol were found in a sample from July 21, the second rest day of the race. The UCI stated that the amount of was 400 times less than the minimum amount World Anti-Doping Agency accredited labs must be able to detect. Contador went on to win the Tour de France by 39 seconds, ahead of arch-rival Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank).

LeMond has been critical of drug testing measures within the sport before, lambasting both the procedures the transparency of several cases including the fallout between the UCI and AFLD. However the legitimacy of the latest storm to engulf cycling has raised eyebrows.

“I’m all for eliminating drugs but the powerful ones aren’t detectable but I don’t think that this is a black and white drug test. Look at the quantities that he was detected with,” he said.

“There’s some crazy stuff in cycling with people going positive for things that have little to no benefit to performance. To risk a Tour de France victory for this….”

Despite Contador claiming that the positive test was down to a cut of meat he faces a fight to clear both his name and a possible suspension. However, LeMond believes that his image as well as the sport’s has been permanently tarnished no matter the outcome.

“Anything like this is devastating but this is like someone going positive for marijuana, I don’t think there’s a benefit to it but if it’s on the list, it’s on the list. I’m trying to walk a fine line but I don’t believe in the transparency of the sport or that there’s equal treatment for everyone out there. It just blows me away.”

Source: Cyclingnews.com

Published: 30th Sept 2010

[Phil06]

.

Plasticisers in Contador’s urine could indicate blood transfusion

Found day before the positive sample for Clenbuterol

Alberto Contador returned a positive test for the so-called “plasticisers” in his urine the day before his positive control for Clenbuterol, according to the New York Times. The newspaper also says that the results could indicate that he had had a blood transfusion, which is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

The test looks for a chemical found in plastic IV bags. “A test performed on at least one of Contador’s urine samples from the Tour revealed levels of that chemical eight times higher than the minimum amount that signifies doping, according to a person with knowledge of the test results,” the New York Times said.

The sample is said to have been taken on July 20, the day before the Tour's final rest day. The other positive sample was taken on the rest day.

Contador has denied using any doping product or method. His press spokesman, Jacinto Vidarte, said that the Spaniard “has done nothing illegal” and added that “there has been no official confirmation at all” about the plasticisers.

The test to detect the plasticisers was used at the Tour de France this summer for the first time. It has been available for more than a year, but is not yet validated for use. While an athlete could therefore not be sanctioned on the basis of this test alone, it could be used in conjunction with other evidence.

“Even without a validated test, it could be looked at in a case-by-case basis,” Francesco Botré, head of the WADA-lab in Rome, said. “If someone has a very, very high level of plasticisers in the urine, it would be hard for that athlete to explain how that happened if not from doping. If the level is lower, it obviously would make it much harder, but it would still be possible to prove."

Source: Cyclingnews.com

Published: 5th Oct 2010

[jezzer]

So, looks like it WAS a transfusion with trace elements of clenbuterol in it.

It's great that they're catching people now. Naturally the goalposts will shift again, but it does seem like the anti-doping heads are getting better.

[Donny B.]

Just when I think that this sport can't be any more of a joke!

His own federation can just decide to clear him?


SHANE STOKES Reports

TRIPLE TOUR de France winner Alberto Contador will unexpectedly return to racing today in the Volta ao Algarve in Portugal, having been cleared in full of doping charges by the Spanish cycling federation RFEC.

Contador had been expected to receive a ban of at least one year after testing positive for Clenbuterol during the 2010 Tour, and indeed the disciplinary committee of the federation proposed a sanction of this length last month. However the legal team of the 28-year-old provided additional arguments and the four judges concerned decided he should be cleared.

“First of all, I’m relieved and obviously happy about this ruling. It has been some very stressful months for me, but throughout the case I have been totally available for all inquiries, and all the way through I have spoken in accordance with the truth,” Contador said yesterday. “To both the team and the authorities, I have explained I never cheated or deliberately took a banned substance.”

Contador’s defence was based around his assertion the Clenbuterol detected in a urine test carried out on the second rest day of the Tour de France occurred because he had eaten contaminated meat the evening before. He said a friend had bought steak in the Basque town of Irun prior to crossing the border into France, giving the meat to the team to eat because the beef in the hotel they were staying in was too tough.

A story that seemed implausible gained an additional question mark in October when the New York Times quoted an unnamed source as saying he had high levels of plasticizers in his system. Although it is not yet ratified by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), the test is seen as an indirect method of detecting blood transfusions. The inference was that the Clenbutol positive could have occurred if he had used the substance in training, prior to extracting blood before the Tour.

However there has been no confirmation since then about those reports, and there are no indications these plasticizer claims formed part of the case against him. If those claims were indeed accurate, it is possible they could form part of an appeal against the RFEC’s decision. Anti-doping scientists have been working hard at ratifying the plasticizer test in recent months.

Speaking to The Irish Times yesterday, a Wada spokesperson said both it and the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) would fully assess the RFEC report before deciding if appeals would be lodged with the Court of Arbitration for Sport. “As with any decision taken by a World Anti-Doping Code signatory in relation to anti-doping matters, Wada will review the reasons for the decision once it receives it,” she stated.

“Following receipt of the entire file and decision from the Spanish cycling federation, the UCI has 30 days to exercise its right of appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Wada has another 21 days to determine whether or not to use its independent right of appeal to the CAS.”

In the meantime, Contador is free to compete and will resume racing today in the Volta ao Algarve, which he won last year. His Saxo Bank SunGard team is cautiously optimistic it’s the end of the matter. “This decision is indeed proof the relevant authorities do not find grounds for believing Alberto Contador has committed any intentional doping offence, which is absolutely vital for us,” said general manager Bjarne Riis. “So I’m obviously happy on behalf of Alberto and the team. . . . but we’re also sensitive to the fact the parties of this case still have the right to appeal this decision.”

An appeal does seem likely and could, according to the UCI, take four months to complete. That would put a conclusion around the start of July, a time when Contador will aim to line out in France and target what would be his fourth Tour de France win.

Whether or not he will be there remains to be seen.

THE RFEC decision yesterday was accompanied by a denial on its part that political influence could have affected the outcome of its disciplinary hearing.

Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero said last week he believed “there’s no legal reason to justify sanctioning Contador”.

RFEC president Juan Carlos Castano said prior to the hearing he hoped the rider would be cleared, as he knew him from when he was young rider. The Social Democrat Party and Popular Party backed Contador’s claims he didn’t knowingly ingest the substance and should be cleared, as did Angel Juanes, président of the Audiencia Nacional Española, the highest court after the Supreme court.

The RFEC judges yesterday said suggestions of political pressure were wrong. “Those comments are so disrespectful that they damage the sensibility and professionalism of the members of this committee,” they claimed.

[fourthirtythree]

Just when I think that this sport can't be any more of a joke!

His own federation can just decide to clear him?

That's what happens when the lawyers ride into town. It's why the most lawyered-up cyclist in the history of the sport has never been in real trouble. Where there's money to be made and vultures to be paid there is nothing that won't be stooped to.

Thing is, with sport, everyone will continue believing that "their" guy isn't up to it.

[Armchair]

One in one out:

Lance Armstrong confirms retirement from cycling

No other cyclist has won as many Tour de France titles as Armstrong

Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong has confirmed he has retired from competitive cycling for good.

The American, 39, retired from cycling in 2005 but returned for the 2009 Tour, where he finished in third place behind winner Alberto Contador.

"I can't say I have any regrets. It's been an excellent ride," he said.

Armstrong is facing a US federal investigation into allegations of doping after former team-mate Floyd Landis claimed he used banned drugs.

The investigation is examining whether Armstrong used government money to dope and win his seven Tours while riding with the now-disbanded US Postal team.

It follows allegations made by Landis, who was stripped of the 2006 Tour de France title following a positive drugs test.

But Armstrong, who has never tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, has consistently denied the allegations.

His contribution to cycling has been enormous, from both the sporting point of view and his personality

UCI president Pat McQuaid
"I can't control what goes on in regards to the investigation," said the Texan. "That's why I hire people to help me with that. I try not to let it bother me and just keep rolling right along. I know what I know.

"I know what I do and I know what I did. That's not going to change."

Armstrong finished in 67th place in his final competitive race of his career in last month's Tour Down Under in Australia, finishing six minutes and 42 seconds behind race winner Cameron Meyer.

In 1996 Armstrong had been given less than a 50-50 chance of survival after being diagnosed with testicular cancer as the disease spread to his lungs and brain.

However, after an aggressive bout of chemotherapy, he made a full recovery and returned to the sport in early 1998, going on to dominate the race from 1999 to 2005.

He set up the Livestrong cancer charity which gained international recognition as the organisation's distinctive yellow wristbands were worn by millions of people worldwide.

Last year he rode for the Astana team but after a public dispute with team-mate Alberto Contador he left to form his own team, backed by American retailer RadioShack, finishing the blue riband race in 23rd place.

"I have no regrets about last year either," added Armstrong. "The crashes, the problems with the bike - those were things that were beyond my control."

Armstrong remains the only rider in the history of cycling to win the Tour de France on seven different occasions.

"His contribution to cycling has been enormous, from both the sporting point of view and his personality," said International Cycling Union president Pat McQuaid.

"All sports need global icons and he has become a global icon for cycling. The sport of cycling has a lot to be thankful for because of Lance Armstrong."

[Sea_point]

Surely the Cycling governing body sanctions all major cyling events and as such could leave in place the worldwide ban for Contador.
Obviously there would likely be a conflict for events hosted in Spain; Tour Espana etc but as long as he's not allowed compete in tours outside the Spanish jurisdiction then that’s good enough for me...

Cycling and Athletics administrators are a laughing stock to be honest , they're up there with the circus that is Pro Boxing (did I mention I'm the undefeated Surrey Times Heavywieght World Champion, my mum is the Super-Middlewight champion.. )