Contador fails drug test

[Flying_Monkey]

I am quite surprised at the rush to claim this is a 'media conspiracy'. This is the normal procedure. The story is the result of Contador's publicity people getting their excuses out first. And people really should take more notice of what Willy Voets says about the use of clenbuterol. The fact that trace amounts were found has various explanations, only one of which is that it got into his system through mreat contamination. If he or his team was using some deliberate strategy of 'flushing' or 'masking' then this is exactly what one might expect if his timing was just a little bit off or the testing was done earlier than they had anticipated.

Saying 'it's too small an amount, therefore no problem' or 'the media made it up' is just as ridiculous and premature a reaction as saying 'he's a cheat', and perhaps even more so.

 

[yello]

The story is the result of Contador's publicity people getting their excuses out first.

Quick point on this, wasn't the detection made (and Contador notified) around a month ago? If so, hardly indicates getting excuses in first. There is probably a 'back story' here but such things tend to get confused with 'he said, she said' so I prefer to not concentrate on such things.

I personally don't think there's a media conspiracy. I think the positive test is exactly what it is. I'm also neither convicting nor free-ing, but I am interested in the arguments that inevitably fall out of such things, and the lights that are shone on the workings. I also like to entertain possibilities (even conspiracy theory!) rather than take stuff at face value.

 

[Bill Gates]

I've often been amazed by how AC can recover so well after putting in a tremendous effort to gain a couple of minutes on his rivals on a mountain stage. Where fitness is a factor in other sports the fatigue impacts on performances quite regularly. Contador is a GT rider where recovery is vital to winning.

Personally I've never been convinced when I watch him on the TV that this wonderful ability to recover is clean.

 

[Hont]

It does seem a very small amount to contribute to performance enhancement. If there is a masking agent for it, that might explain it but I've not seen any comment to suggest that there is so far. If there isn't a masking agent I'm inclined to believe Contador's version. No one would choose to take this drug in the middle of the tour given how detectable it is and how little benefit you would get from such a tiny amount.

Having said that, why was he eating steak? I thought they stuck resolutely to white meat?

In any event I can't see Contador getting the full punishment. If he has a plausible explanation (which he appears to have) he can argue that he is not being treated the same as other athletes whose tests do not end up at a lab capable of detecting the drug in such minute quantities. I expect a 6 month to 1 year ban and keeping his TdF crown.

His and cycling's reputation are another matter.

Interesting to see Lemond's take (as always). He seems to imply that there is no coincidence that anyone who leaves Lance's team gets done for positive drugs after leaving.

"I can’t believe how many people have left a certain team and then gone positive,” LeMond told Cyclingnews after hearing the news.

 

[raindog]

I've often been amazed by how AC can recover so well after putting in a tremendous effort to gain a couple of minutes on his rivals on a mountain stage.

Yes, but this year that didn't happen. He struggled just to hang on in the Dauphiné and in the Tour he didn't exactly dominate AndyS did he? If anyone looked like they were riding clean this year it was Berto imo. The Liqui boys on the other hand......

 

[scook94]

From the BBC

Contador, {snip} , said the meat was brought across the border from Spain to France during a rest day during the Tour.

He said there were complaints about the food at the hotel where his Astana team were staying.

The Spaniard revealed he ate the meat on 20 July and again on 21 July

I wonder what his team mates thought about him eating the specially imported meat while they (presumably) continued to eat the slop the hotel were serving?

 

[philipbh]

I wonder what his team mates thought about him eating the specially imported meat while they (presumably) continued to eat the slop the hotel were serving?

Others on the team did, only Vinokourov didnt *

*According to Cycling Weekly http://tiny.cc/0mtnfh2fw1

 

[scook94]

Others on the team did, only Vinokourov didnt *

*According to Cycling Weekly http://tiny.cc/0mtnfh2fw1

he and his team mates returned late from a training ride and ate food from the hotel, rather than having it prepared by the team's chef.

So now he's saying it was the hotel's meat that was contaminated and not the stuff he imported from Spain? *confused*

 

[Smokin Joe]

I'd like to believe Contador, but we've heard it all before. Apart from Millar who put his hands up straight away it's always the same old story, deny deny deny, don't know how it got there, must have been the meat/beer/a dodgy lab test/someone is out to get me/the French don't like me, it's the media stirring things up, etc etc etc.

Clenbuterol is known to be something cyclists have used to boost performance and what do you know, they found traces of it in a Tour de France winner's sample. There may be a perfectly innocent explanation of course, but then there always is.

It stinks.

 

[philipbh]

So now he's saying it was the hotel's meat that was contaminated and not the stuff he imported from Spain? *confused*

Oops! - the story seems to have evolved throughout the day - not sure what the time stamp is on that Cycling Weekly story

William Fotheringham in the Guardian (at 15.12 BST) has AC blaming the spanish meat, which was brought to the team by the organiser of the Vuelta

 

[iAmiAdam]

I'm gonna sit on the innocent until proven guilty side.

And either way, a trace that small won't of helped him too much tbf.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Never mind, Alberto, Mr 60% trusts you! I know he's his new manager, but that's the kind of support you really don't need at a time like this...

 

[iAmiAdam]

That's quite important tho, being schlecks manager too.

 

[philipbh]

That's quite important tho, being schlecks manager too.

Not important enough - AC has tested positive for a banned substance, for which there is no threshold for sanctions

See Pierre Bordry & David Howman's comments - Howman doubts that ingestion is possible inadvertantly*

The only(?) thing to decide is the severity of the sanctions

* the case of US Swimmer Jessica Hardy is also relevant - she proved inadvertant ingestion, but her 2 year ban was halved

 

[yello]

I've just read of another interesting take on this, and one that could explain the low count. That is, the Contador did not take clenbuterol BUT it was present in the stored blood he'd transfused!

In short, the suggestion goes that he stored some of his re-oxygenated, EPO-ed blood before the tour. That blood also contained clenbuterol, as he would having being doint that too at the time. The clenbuterol decays but doesn't disappear. He infuses, or micro-doses, the stored blood and so re-introduces a small amount of clenbuterol!

Like a true gossip monger (and what are forums for if not to discuss speculation!), I have no idea if this is a credible or otherwise. But it's got to be as plausible as the meat story!