Alberto Contador may not have won the 2010 Tour de France fair and square after a failed drug test during the race was revealed Wednesday. In a news conference Thursday, he strenuously denied that he cheated for his third victory within the event. Looking at a 2-year suspension from competitive cycling and loss of his 2010 Tour victory, Contador suggested that ingesting tainted meat was the reason for failing the drug test.
Contador blames impure meat
July 21 was a terrible day for world’s greatest cyclist Alberto Contador as he tested positive, right before the Tour de France began on the mountain stage. The NY Times reports that a statement released Wednesday by the International Cycling Union said two urine samples taken from Contador that day tested positive for traces of clenbuterol, a weight-loss and muscle-building drug. Contador made a statement on Thurs about every little thing. He said the only reason his urine samples had that was because at the hotel, someone had tainted the meat he ate. He also said the tiny amount of clenbuterol found in his samples would not have enhanced his performance anyway.
Contador has connections with substances
Contador will not stand for being known this way. He needs to get his name cleared. CNN reports that he was provisionally suspended from racing by the International Cycling Union. Most people in his sport are known for drugging. In fact, Contador was linked to the 2006 Spanish blood-doping ring. He won the Tour de France in 2007. This was the first time he was able to do so. In 2008 he joined Astana, a team that was banned from the race for doping violations. He then won another Tour title. This was in 2009. Lance Armstrong, a seven-time winner, finished 3rd. Floyd Landis, an American, was the only Tour de France winner that lost his title after positive testing.
Experts believing Contador
Experts seem to have a few sympathy for Contador assuming he really did examination positive because of impure meat. Universal Sports reports that clenbuterol is often given to chicken, cows and pigs to speed up growth. The substance will stay in two places. The liver and muscle tissue are most common. Also many bodybuilders use clenbuterol. They’ll use it to try and burn off fat faster while building up their muscles. Oxygen can get the muscles easier with the substance which increases aerobic capacity. Short term, amphetamines can have the very same effect of it. Dr. Andrew Franklin-Miller is a sports expert. He said that it wouldn’t be possible for Contador to be affected by meat with clenbuterol in it.
Details from
New York Times
nytimes.com/2010/10/01/sports/cycling/01cycling.html?ref=sports
CNN
cnn.com/2010/SPORT/09/30/cycling.alberto.contador.banned/index.html?npt=NP1
Universal Sports
universalsports.com/news/article/newsid=494315.html
