Contador: not so tough now

Dear Alberto and Andy,
PAY ATTENTION TO ME!!!
Cadel

Oh you guys, this poor athlete has been stripped of his title and all you can do is kick him while he’s down ;D

easy just buy the dead sexy extralite top cap… i have on on my serotta and it’s ace!!

Well this doesn’t really surprise me.

Contador Ban To Be Overturned? | Cyclingnews.com

According to Spanish newspaper El Periódico, the Spanish cycling federation’s competitions committee that recently recommended a one-year ban on Alberto Contador after his positive test for clenbuterol is considering overturning the decision due to legal considerations.
The paper has reported that some members of the committee were convinced by the arguments made by Contador’s legal team that the three-time Tour de France winner had ingested clenbuterol by eating tainted meat. The committee’s final decision was due February 9, but has not yet been officially announced.
The paper adds that the Spanish federation has said in its judgment on the case that Contador’s positive test was caused by “extenuating circumstances” and not by “negligence nor responsibility”, which has provided the Spaniard with the opportunity to launch a legal challenge against his ban.
According to El Periódico, the Spanish federation was convinced that Contador did not use a medical product containing clenbuterol, nor had he undergone a blood transfusion that contained the product, nor had he been microdosing with the product.
The paper suggests that Contador’s legal team will make a case for the ban being overturned due to the judgment that effectively states that his positive test was due to factors beyond his control. It also states that members of the federation’s competitions committee are ready to change their verdict of a year’s ban based on this argument.

‘extenuating circumstances’… what bs! Boonen should have used that one when he got done for coke.

“Not by negligence” - even if he had no idea what he was doing, I don’t think this is correct for a pro cyclist. But I am no expert in Spanish law (or Australian law for that matter).

My understanding is that while it is up to the country’s cycling federation to apply the ban, the UCI has a hand in it and in this case there is overwhelming pressure for there to be some sort of ban to try and maintain some sort of credibility.

My pick is that the ban will be retroactively applied and he will be back for the Vuelta. Cycling federations win as they did ban him, Conty wins because he can still come out and race his home tour/Worlds/etc.

Cycling’s credibility still loses…

The only interesting thing is if he threatens to name names and then its likely it wont just be cyclings problem (see strong rumours of top spanish tennis and soccer players having seen the same docs as AC). this is something that the spanish sports federations do not want to see.

As long as it’s not Cesc Fabregas, then I hope they all get caught…

Depends on when the ban is dated from - although I would not be surprised if it was “worked out” so he could race

Is the Vuelta an option for Contador? Depends on which date ban would begin

Contador has not raced since winning the 2010 Tour de France on July 25, but a lag time between Contador’s alleged offense — on the Tour’s second rest day on July 21 — and the date he was notified of his doping offense will come into play. This question becomes particularly important bans are typically pegged to the date of official notification.
According to several reports, Contador was not officially notified until August 23 or 24. There are other reports that say that the official UCI notification didn’t come until as late as September 30.

In either case, Contador would not be able to start the 2011 Vuelta because it starts August 20 in Benidorm with a team time trial.
The case is still open to appeal from Contador, the UCI and WADA. However, when the “ban begins” could have major importance for Contador, his Saxo Bank team and the Vuelta a España.