Stop me if you’ve heard this one before...a major professional cyclist has tested positive for using a banned substance. This time its recent Tour de France winner Alberto Contador.
Tour de France Winner Alberto Contado Tests Positive For Banned Substance
As nearly every cycling news site on the planet has now reported, Tour winner Alberto Contador tested positive for the banned substance Clenbuterol during this year’s Tour. Ruh-roh. Clenbuterol is a stimulant used to treat allergies and asthma, and is also used as a weight loss supplement. It’s a fairly well-known part of the doping arsenal, though it is also easily detected.
Contador’s press release asserts that the positive came as a consequence of eating contaminated food. Clenbuterol is sometimes used in industrial farming in an effort to raise leaner meat. The practice is banned in most countries, and it seems unlikely that Contador would have encountered tainted meat in Western Europe.
As we know from the Floyd Landis ordeal, the legal proceedings and wrangling will take a while from here. Contador can be stripped of his Tour victory if the positive test holds up. If that happens, second place finisher Andy Schleck would be the de facto winner.
Keep an eye on Podium Cafe for updates and reaction.
See More:
