So Andy Schleck wins???

[WindingRoad]

http://news.oneindia.in/2011/01/27/tourde-france-winner-contador-suspended-due-to-dopingcase-aid0127.html

:D:D:D

Is this for real?

[WindingRoad]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/cycling/8284548/Alberto-Contador-to-lose-Tour-de-France-title-and-face-one-year-ban-after-positive-test-for-banned-drug-clenbuterol.html

It's hard to tell for sure what's going on with this. Seems like its still not 100% that he was doping?

[Bike Chick]

Velo News (http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/01/news/alberto-contador-suspended-one-year-for-doping-at-tour-de-france_157185) reports its a done deal.

Looks like Andy's our winner---depending on which story you read---but I'm not sure he wanted to get it that way.

So he ingested the drug in beef?????? Yeah, ok, then why didn't the rest of the team test positive for the same drug?

[Aggie_Ama]

I am sure it will be a while before Andy is declared the winner. There will be appeals, I think it took a year or two before Oscar Perreiro was officially declared the 2007 winner when Floyd doped. In addition to the Clenbeutrol Contador is rumored to have plasticizer in his blood. A new test not yet approved for kicking them out but the theory is plasticizers would be left when blood doping. The meat defense has been used before but Spain claims they do not use Clenbeutrol in beef, also the rider is ultimately responsible for anything they consume so in that light they have to know their beef is not tainted. It is pretty messy way for Andy to win. There will be those who will believe Contador was screwed (for lack of a better word) forever.

[Possegal]

Just for clarification - the rest of the team didn't test positive because they weren't even tested. The only other team member tested was Vino and he didn't eat with them that night. Not saying anything about what may or may not have happened regarding doping - but those facts keep getting lost in the discussion.

[PscyclePath]

I think Amanda is pretty close... Contador has been formally advised of the Spanish commission's decision, and there's a 10-day cooling off period before their decision is formally and publicly announced. Running concurrently with that is a 30-day period in which Contador can appeal the decision. If he appeals, based on what happened in the Landis case and others, it will take a little over two years to finalize things.

On the record book, Schleck will be listed as the "official" winner of the 2010 tour, just like Pereiro is the "official" winner for 2006. But if you ask the person on the street who won the Tour in 2006, the chances are about 9 out of 10 they'll say, "2006? Oh yeah, that's the year that Floyd won the Tour and then got busted for doping." Probably the same thing will happen to Andy; his name will go in the record books with an asterisk beside it, and what most folks will remember is "2010, yeah, Contador won that one, but then he got busted for doping." Contador's new team manager, Bjarne Riis, won the Tour way back in 1996 and then a couple of years ago admitted that he was doping then, but just didn't get caught.

Is Contador's bust legit? I'm inclined to think so. First of all, from idle observation there seems to be a strong cult of doping among the Spanish pros... quite a few of them getting caught over the past few years, and then there's this "Operation Puerto" thing hanging out there. Contador was one of the riders implicated in Puerto -- though not much ever came of it -- so this is likely not the first time the boy has been playing with matches.

Hopefully Andy will have good form this year, and a derned good team behind him, and will stay unhurt so that he can come back to the Tour and win the jersey, trophy, and all the bragging rights that really make up the win.

[malkin]

Team Leopard all the way!

[XMcShiftersonX]

I'm rooting for Andy to be declared the winner... however long it takes! :D

[ladyicon]

So does this mean that Lance Armstrong came in second???????

[ninerfan]

Nope. Armstrong finished 3rd in the 2009 Tour and 23rd in the 2010 Tour.

[ladyicon]

Oops, sorry, duh

[malkin]

Oh help and bother.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/02/news/it%E2%80%99s-official-spanish-fed-clears-contador_159920

[bmccasland]

Oh help and bother.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/02/news/it%E2%80%99s-official-spanish-fed-clears-contador_159920

No kidding....

[Aggie_Ama]

I read Tom Zirbel's reaction, he basically is serving a two year ban for a similar reason (claims he did not intentionally ingest DHEA). He pretty much said Contador got cleared because he has the money to get the experts (lawyers, etc) to get this over turned. Contador never could prove he ate contaminated meat, which Zirbel couldn't prove either. There is currently a rider serving a ban because he couldn't get let of on the contaminated meat defense.

My opinion is he is Spain's Golden Boy right now and as many rumored and proven dopers that they have they had to find a way to clear him. Still many will always see him as a doper. It isn't the first time he has been implicated, he was supposedly blood doping with Operation Puerto but they could never get a solid case against him. Total BS to let him off when people are serving suspensions for doing exactly the same thing. If he did intentionally used a ban substance I hope he is stupid enough to get caught again.

[partbug]

Contador learned from the best North Americas golden boy Lance Armstrong

[bonnypriest]

Oooooo...tell it like it is sister! Sad, but probably a VERY true statement. ;)