Cycling:Alberto Contador's former team have backed the decision to provisionally suspend the Tour de France champion and will seek further explanation from the Spaniard before making any other announcement following his positive test for clenbuterol.
Contador is determined to see his name cleared after claiming contaminated meat was the reason behind his positive test for the banned stimulant while he was on his way to winning this year’s Tour while a Team Astana rider.
Contador was informed of the failed test on August 24th and has been provisionally suspended by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The 27-year-old in August signed a two-year deal to race with Team Saxo Bank from next season after rejecting Astana’s offer of a new contract.
An Astana team statement this morning read: “The Kazakh direction of the team Astana just learnt yesterday from a press release issued by his press officer that Alberto Contador had an abnormal doping control during the last Tour de France.
“The headers are now expecting further explanations from Alberto Contador and support the UCI who suspended him provisionally, before taking any other decision which would be premature given the complexity of the case.”
Contador, who also won the Tour de France in 2007 and 2009, yesterday protested his innocence at a press conference in his home town of Pinto just outside Madrid, claiming the positive test was as a result of eating contaminated meat brought from Spain.
He is also determined not to let this incident taint his career, saying: “I’m not going to allow something like this to ruin all my hard work. I’m not worried that they are putting into doubt my results in the Tour de France, I know how I’ve done things. I’m not going to hide. I want to clear this up as soon as possible.
“I’m sad and disappointed but I can hold my head high because with the truth behind me I can talk loud and clear. It’s a case of food contamination in which I’m the victim.”