Actually, that’s a common misconception (that is NOT helped by Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin). When he was 19, Contador won the under 23 spanish time trial championship which is much more competitive than Luxembourg national time trial. It’s essentially (and maybe literally) Andy and Frank Schleck competing against each other. Contador had much less work to do than Schleck does. Frankly, I’m not sure Denis Menchov wont’ take over second. He had a shit time trial last year but he also wasn’t competiting for anything. At a competitive Giro last year he put together one of the better time trial runs on the final day.
We shall see, either way, it’ll be pretty interesting.
Contador has left and we are seeing big time gaps as apparently the tide comes in and makes the course more windy. This definitely wouldn’t suit someone like Schleck. I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that Menchov passes him.
To be fair, Contador probably would have had 4 TdFs by now if he had not been disallowed from defending the jersey in '08, because his team (Astana) was not invited–the only time this has ever happened to a defending TdF champion, I believe.
To be fair, Eddy missed the '73 Tour because the organizers didn’t like him winning so much. So he won the Giro and Vuelta that year instead. Don’t get me wrong, Contador is a very impressive cyclist and I’m happy to rank him alongside guys like Indurain. But best ever? Get back to me when he’s won 11 grand tours (including points and mountain jersey simultaneously at least once), countless one-day classics, and maybe set the hour record just for good measure. Merckx was in a whole different category of domination.
Oh, I’m sure RedFury will be in shortly to shout to all and sundry that his beloved Contador couldn’t possibly be dirty.
Interesting that when the American Tour winner got nabbed in 2006 the test was leaked in less than a week. When the Spanish rider gets nabbed, it takes over two months.
This smells like a on-purpose doping: Clenbuterol is a well-known aid to recovery - the test came on a test day when riders could fully recover (especially with the Tourmalet coming up the next day). Plus, Contador probably felt there was less risk of being tested on a rest day. Of the various illegal PEDs, Clenbuterol is known to clear the body very fast.
Contador is claiming a case of ‘food contamination’, which is silly - it was during the TdF, when Astana has a team of chefs and cooks that prepare every piece of food the riders digest. And I haven’t seen any other Astana riders test positive.
Contador is going to be stripped of his TdF title. There’s just zero wiggle room here. Best case scenario, he is able to get his ban reduced to one year. Andy Schleck gets his well-deserved victory for 2010, might win 2011 - and who knows what shape Contador will be in for 2012? And if it’s a two-year ban Contador might not come back at all.
Please wait for the facts before you start hitting out left and right GragonAsh. The UCI and thw WADA have said they found abnormal results and not that Contador is positive. They found 50 picogram which 400 times less (!) than is needed to give somebody a positive (per WADA’s rules and mandate).
I’m not saying he didn’t dope - I don’t know that - but to condemn him as doping cheat isn’t on yet.
ps After lying for many years, landis actually admitted using doping this year and is the source for the hole wichhunt with regard to Armstrong that is going on. So in this case they found (enough) evidence of a banned substance and later it turned out tehy were right.
Be surprised if this led to any title stripping - 400 times below the threshold? Quite an easy substance to detect AFAIK so wouldn’t be on the agenda for a sophisticated doper.
It is excellent wind-up material for the Alberto-as-martyr fan boys though
Do you have a cite for this? Cyclingnewsand other websites say the exact opposite and that it is consequently a poor choice as a PED. They are also saying that the amount found was so small that it wouldn’t have enhanced performance, so it is hard to see what the point would have been if it was deliberate.
As I understand it, clenbuterol is used illicitly in beef production. So it would not be a question of preparation it may have been in the beef before Astana got it. Your point about the other Astana riders not failing is a good one, but then I guess if Contador had the steak and they had the chicken… Also, not everyone is tested equally. It may be that on the day in question from Astana only Contador was tested. There is a bias in the testing towards the more successful riders.
Do you have a cite for this? From what I am reading they found 400 times less than the minimum level the lab is required to be able to detect (which while impressive is not actually relevant). Not 400 times less than gives a positive under the rules.
Both his A- and B-sample tests from the July 21 came back positive. His July 22 tests also came back positive. There’s nothing ‘abnormal’ about it - they found the illegal substance in his body.
The drug was likely taken to aid recovery, not performance itself. Coming on the rest day makes perfect sense.
Contador’s publicist came out with the ‘400 times less than the level needed to be able to detect’ quote. And, as Princhester noted - it’s completely irrelevant. If anything, it hurts his case; it means the machine was able to detect even very trace amounts.
With both A and B samples positive, I don’t see any way he doesn’t lose his title and get at least a one-year ban.
