MADRID, Feb 8, 2011 – Spain’s cycling federation justified its
decision to seek a one-year ban for Alberto Contador, rather than the usual
two years, by saying his responsibility appeared to be minimal, a Spanish
newspaper said Tuesday.

“The negligence of the cyclist was not significant … as the simple
presence of the substance in his body does not imply a violation of fair
play,” the federation, RFEC, said in a report, according to the sports daily
Marca.

The paper said the federation used this argument to seek a one-year
suspension, rather than a two-year ban that would normally be imposed for a
doping violation.

The presence of the banned substance clenbuterol was detected over four
consecutive days during last year’s Tour de France, the RFEC said in its
report, although only one of those tests, on July 21, was retained.

Contador himself said on September 30 that he was tested again on July 22
and that the amount of clenbuterol was “was much less than the previous day.”

“That would correspond to a single ingestion (of clenbuterol) on July 21
and the normal time to eliminate the clenbuterol of three days,” the head of
the Madrid laboratory, Jesus Munoz-Guerra, said in the report.

The RFEC last month recommended Contador receive a one-year ban for his
positive test for the banned muscle-building and fat-burning drug clenbuterol.

The rider denies any wrongdoing and says he unknowingly ingested trace
elements of clenbuterol from beef brought from Spain to France during the
second rest day of the Tour. He has vowed to appeal.

Article: AFP