Tour (de France) champ Contador reportedly fails drug test

NBC Sports ^ | 9/29/2010 | NBC Sports

[mainsail that]

Tour de France champion Alberto Contador has reportedly tested positive for a banned substance, according to multiple reports.

The three-time champion reportedly tested positive on July 21, just days before he won the 2010 title. He has blamed contaminated food.

If true, he would be the second rider to win the race and later be found to have failed a drug test. Floyd Landis did so in 2006.

[leilani]

This is funny. I was googling about clenbuterol being banned for livestock and your post at #33 came up. You are now an internet expert on drug additives allowable under EU regs,just thought you’d like to know. Congrats!

[leilani]

PS) I don’t know why google thinks your qualifications for expertise in the matter are superior to mine. Harumph! ;-)

[Ready4Freddy]

I am unworthy! lol

In other news, apparently neither Landis nor Lemond showed up at Contador’s presser today, so that was a good sign.

[Ready4Freddy]

It’s all about the timing.

Give it 5 mins and yours is liable to show up as well.

[leilani]

In re the issue of the incredibly minute quantities found, Velonation has a pretty balanced article posted with a possible explanation NOT in Alberto's favor:

Rasmus Damsgaard, the founder of the anti-doping system used by a number of teams, including Contador’s Astana team until last year, is one that does not believe in the Spanish rider’s innocence.

“If the data is correct then it’s most likely that it is a ‘Landis’,” Damsgaard told Danish TV station TV2 via SMS. “It would suggest that he has received a transfusion of his own blood, taken out a few months earlier when he used clenbuterol, which he has gotten back into his body.”

They also quote Andy Schleck's twitter page:

“What a crazy day in cycling with the news about Contador,” he said via his Twitter page, “ I only heard about it in the press I hope he is innocent and I think he deserves the right to defend himself now.”

Classy boy & such a sweetiepie.

[Ready4Freddy]

Good find, leilani. A buddy of mine surmised this AM that it might be transfusion-related.

[Hot Tabasco]

Sports threads belong in Sports Illustrated, not in a political forum.

What's it really matter? Most folks here, like me, have my FR settings to list all postings.........nobody forced you to click on the thread anyway.

Get over it, I'm sure you've got more important things to gripe about......

[leilani]

Yeah, that's what cracks me up when people come on forum threads (not just here at FR) & say "Nobody here is interested in threads about "x", they shouldn't be posted." But the topic certainly piqued their interest enough to take the trouble to click it on & even post a response letting everyone else know about their thoughts on the topic, no?

Besides which anybody who says cycling has nothing to do with politics doesn't know cycling very well - or politics for that matter! ;-)

[leilani]

Here's another good find, also very balanced, over at sportsscientists.com:

Ross Tucker & Jonathan Dugas: Alberto Contador tests positive for clenbuterol - thoughts and conjecture

[ican'tbelieveit]

They have the Amgen Tour of California... :-)

[Ready4Freddy]

More pieces of the puzzle...

Plasticisers in Contador’s urine could indicate blood transfusion
By: Cycling News Published: October 5, 09:37

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/plasticisers-in-contadors-urine-could-indicate-blood-transfusion

[commish]

IMO this is a huge blow to Contador’s innocence claims. It lends creedence to the Transfusion with his own contaminated blood theories.

Hell it doesn’t just lend creedence it basically confirms them.

Last time I checked I don’t think you can get plasticisers in your system from ‘tainted’ meat.

Although I have to admit that when I read that Clenbuterol was used to help horses breath, I thought “Hmmmm just what kind of meat was it?”.... LOL

[Mr. Blonde]

Was going to post this as well.

Wonder what the situation was last year when he looked much better.

[Mom MD]

Tks for the updates. This is really sad....

[Ready4Freddy]

Well, plasticisers accidentally got into that ‘good meat’ from Espana...

[Vision]

Looks like he had a blood transfusion at the TdF. Poor Schleck.

[Ready4Freddy]

Yeah, I was thinking the same about Andy, Vision.

[green iguana]

Thanks for the ping R4F, but why poor Schleck? Because he didn’t get the thrill of being #1 on the podium? #2 ain’t bad, and #1 in the record books will look good. Certainly could have been better, for him, but I don’t feel bad for the guy (unless you know something I don’t...)

[Ready4Freddy]

Heya, iggy verde! Yeah, as you queried, because he didn’t get the thrill of being #1 on the podium.

[Ready4Freddy]

MONTREAL - The World Anti-Doping Agency dismissed Tour de France champion Alberto Contador’s claims his positive test was the result of tainted meat, saying on Wednesday they had heard the excuse before.

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/39662367/ns/sports-other_sports/