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Contador sanctioned for two years...

Posted: 07 Feb 2012, 06:22
by shrubb face
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cas-san ... terol-case

Pretty big news. This means he loses both the 2010 tour and the 2011 Giro.

Re: Contador sanctioned for two years...

Posted: 07 Feb 2012, 07:40
by Lizanne
ya, but they back dated it so he still gets to keep the glory, and won't realy miss anything.

it seems like they gave him less than a slap on the wrist

Re: Contador sanctioned for two years...

Posted: 07 Feb 2012, 12:52
by simon.sharwood
My understanding is that he had a level of clembuterol below the threshold regarded as cheating, so low that the ambient source excuse was plausible. Of course his previous association with Astana is also pretty suss, but some bloke called Lance also rode for that team ...
Shame for cycling either way, to have a champion brought down.
And also let's not forget a Schlek has now won the TdF. :cry:

Re: Contador sanctioned for two years...

Posted: 07 Feb 2012, 12:58
by weiyun
Fair outcome given lesser known riders have been similarly punished for clenbuterol positivity. Even if it was unintentional, he'll regret for all the extra troubles of buying Spanish beef. Should have chosen more wisely.

Re: Contador sanctioned for two years...

Posted: 07 Feb 2012, 15:18
by Trouty
Fair outcome given lesser known riders have been similarly punished for clenbuterol positivity. Even if it was unintentional, he'll regret for all the extra troubles of buying Spanish beef. Should have chosen more wisely.
I don't buy that it was ever a case of an unintentional purchase. Seriously - that's a nice story - ha!!

He deserves all he gets. He took away the glory that the true winners of the Tour and the Giro should have experienced, and all he gets is a slap to say he takes the wins back, and he can still race later this year. People say it is bad for cycling, but i think it's great for cycling. If one of the greats can be caught - maybe other riders will think twice.

Re: Contador sanctioned for two years...

Posted: 07 Feb 2012, 16:02
by weiyun
I agree. This hopefully will be an effective warning to other drug cheats.

Re: Contador sanctioned for two years...

Posted: 07 Feb 2012, 18:48
by wallman
My understanding is that he had a level of clembuterol below the threshold regarded as cheating, so low that the ambient source excuse was plausible. Of course his previous association with Astana is also pretty suss, but some bloke called Lance also rode for that team ...
Shame for cycling either way, to have a champion brought down.
And also let's not forget a Schlek has now won the TdF. :cry:
From the WADA website: "Clenbuterol is a prohibited substance and there is no threshold under which this substance is not prohibited".

Re: Contador sanctioned for two years...

Posted: 07 Feb 2012, 22:13
by T-Bone
I think Simon meant something more on the lines of the level of Clenbuterol detected was well below a clinically significant level (would have no effect on the body). The problem is the technology that detects these substances has become so good at detecting minute amounts of substances, while there has been no alteration in prohibited substance allowances through the introduction of threshold levels. When the no threshold was brought in for Cenbuterol and i'm sure other substances, i don't think the labs were able to detect minute amounts of substances like the amount detected in the Contador sample.

So, on the one hand, an amount detected that would have no effect, surrounded by tests with no amount detected, you could argue there was no performance enhancement (no need for the Spanish meat excuses). On the other hand there's the words "no threshold", which makes it pretty black and white... detected = banned.


One thing people can stop saying now is that Andy Schleck needs to learn to timetrial to win the Tour.

Re: Contador sanctioned for two years...

Posted: 07 Feb 2012, 22:18
by weiyun
I think Simon meant something more on the lines of the level of Clenbuterol detected was well below a clinically significant level (would have no effect on the body). The problem is the technology that detects these substances has become so good at detecting minute amounts of substances, while there has been no alteration in prohibited substance allowances through the introduction of threshold levels...
At the same time, the low level at time of sampling may be evidence of far higher levels at an earlier time point, or use of equipments (e.g. Blood bag) with a lower level of contamination.

Re: Contador sanctioned for two years...

Posted: 08 Feb 2012, 05:40
by mikesbytes
Image

Re: Contador sanctioned for two years...

Posted: 08 Feb 2012, 08:13
by Karzie
From following this slow-motion train wreck, my suspicion is that he had a blood transfusion during the race which still had a small amount of clenbuterol in it from the pre-race buildup. Woops. You don't risk taking banned substances in levels that don't have any effect! And you're not allowed to have blood transfusions either!

Re: Contador sanctioned for two years...

Posted: 08 Feb 2012, 12:33
by simon.sharwood
In case anyone is interested, the full ruling is here: http://www.tas-cas.org/en/infogenerales ... 92-15-1-1/
Long story short, it says the steak theory is half-cooked, the concentrations of clembuterol found were way short of what was needed to be performance-enhancing, but that there is no evidence he was not at fault or negligent.

Re: Contador sanctioned for two years...

Posted: 08 Feb 2012, 13:10
by Stuart
Saxo Bank general manager Bjarne Riis reiterated his unflinching support of Alberto Contador following the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport to hand him a two-year ban and strip him of the 2010 Tour de France title. However, the Danish ex-Tour champion stated that because Contador is no longer able to race, the contract between him and the Saxo Bank team will be annulled.
I wonder if Porte now wishes he'd stayed at Saxo?
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/riis-co ... espite-ban

Also, on the likely source of the Clenbuterol : Anti-doping expert Michael Ashenden was due to give evidence during the hearing as part of WADA’s case against Contador, but the Australian was denied.
“Hearing participants said Ashenden, if allowed, could have expanded on the theory that Contador may have had a blood transfusion on July 20, followed the next day by an injection of blood plasma,” AP reported.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/wada-la ... tador-case

I mean, where did the plasticisers found in his blood come from?
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/plastic ... ransfusion

Re: Contador sanctioned for two years...

Posted: 08 Feb 2012, 19:34
by rhys
This year's tour just got a lot more interesting!
From following this slow-motion train wreck, my suspicion is that he had a blood transfusion during the race which still had a small amount of clenbuterol in it from the pre-race buildup. Woops. You don't risk taking banned substances in levels that don't have any effect! And you're not allowed to have blood transfusions either!
This. They found plasticisers in his blood as well, meaning he probably shot up with the wrong blood bag on the rest day. This kind of amateur stuff is unlike Bruyneel, poor form Johan! How many other guys got tested and didn't show up any clenbuterol? Heaps I'd say. Sucked in Riis, what goes around comes around.
It is a shame that it takes away from the glory but I think Andy Schleck is the Tyler Farrar of GC - perpetual second-place. I don't think either of the Schleck sisters will win a tour unless they Steven Bradbury it, in which case, last year was their best chance.

Contador sanctioned for two years...

Posted: 12 Feb 2012, 11:01
by timyone
Wow at the theory of Ian's. James, doesn't he still need time trivial to beat cadel?

Re: Contador sanctioned for two years...

Posted: 12 Feb 2012, 18:25
by Trouty
It was an interesting interview tonight on cycling central with Anthony Tan and the doping expert dude. Both had little doubt on his guilt and were happy with the decision. The "expert" played down the possibility of the blood transfusion, although said of course this was possible, but the findings were that the Clembutoral was probably ingested some how, but highly improbable NOT due to meat. Given there was so few cases of this meat contamination in Spain and the technology is there to trace or find the source if required, they found him using this defence strange. There is probably so many other points to the story that we will never know - but for now a small victory!

Re: Contador sanctioned for two years...

Posted: 13 Feb 2012, 09:29
by Karzie
The "expert" played down the possibility of the blood transfusion, although said of course this was possible, but the findings were that the Clembutoral was probably ingested some how, but highly improbable NOT due to meat.
Of course it must be the Spanish meat, otherwise they'd have to do a proper investigation

Re: Contador sanctioned for two years...

Posted: 06 Mar 2012, 09:13
by Lizanne
so getting updates on doping in Australia the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) has issued this warning...
really?!?

http://asada.govspace.gov.au/2012/03/01 ... ated-meat/

Re: Contador sanctioned for two years...

Posted: 06 Mar 2012, 09:24
by weiyun
so getting updates on doping in Australia the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) has issued this warning...
really?!?
http://asada.govspace.gov.au/2012/03/01 ... ated-meat/
Interesting advisory.

Whilst it singles out China and Mexico as high risk for meat contamination, the UK warning on liver consumption in the EU suggests that clenbuterol is still being used by farmers in the region, but at a lower (sub-threshold) dose. Or else it would not be a problem to consume livers (a concentrator of toxins/chemicals in the body).

Re: Contador sanctioned for two years...

Posted: 06 Mar 2012, 14:02
by Philip
So.... exactly how much Chorizo do I need to eat to ride like Contador?

Re: Contador sanctioned for two years...

Posted: 07 Mar 2012, 22:03
by Karzie

Whilst it singles out China and Mexico as high risk for meat contamination, the UK warning on liver consumption in the EU suggests that clenbuterol is still being used by farmers in the region, but at a lower (sub-threshold) dose. Or else it would not be a problem to consume livers (a concentrator of toxins/chemicals in the body).
Does cow liver have plasticiser in it too?

Re: Contador sanctioned for two years...

Posted: 08 Mar 2012, 06:05
by weiyun
Does cow liver have plasticiser in it too?
That seemed to be the suggestion, that there's a risk for supra-threshold concentration in the liver. And the only way that can happen is through some unnatural intake.

Re: Contador sanctioned for two years...

Posted: 08 Mar 2012, 07:40
by Karzie
Hahaha... the chinese farmers are forgetting to take the wrapper off the cow-food for them! :)

Contador sanctioned for two years...

Posted: 08 Mar 2012, 08:03
by weiyun
Nay, no wrapper. Straight injection there in problematic areas. Just funny how the problem in the EU is soft played.