Rider likely to return to competition tomorrow in Volta ao Algarve
Alberto Contador’s spokesman has issued a statement confirming that the rider has been cleared of charges of doping.
“Alberto Contador has been officially cleared by the Royal Spanish Cycling Federation and has been authorized to return to competition immediately,” said Jacinto Vidarte. “If everything goes well, the rider will take the start, tomorrow, at the Volta ao Algarve.”
His lawyer Andy Ramos had earlier confirmed the news to Cope.es, saying that he received the RFEC decision this morning.
With the decision, the RFEC effectively considers that the rider was not culpable for the Clenbuterol in his system. Contador had tested positive on the second rest day of the 2010 Tour de France, which he won.
Contador has been named as part of the Saxo Bank SunGard team for the Volta ao Algarve, which he won last year. He is apparently intending to ride the Giro d’Italia before the Tour de France.
The UCI and WADA are both entitled to appeal the ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and have previously indicated that they will do so if they are unhappy with the RFEC decision. It is thought likely that such an action will be taken.
UCI spokesman Enrico Carpani confirmed to VeloNation several minutes ago that the governing body has not yet received official confirmation, and therefore couldn’t comment.
WADA is yet to reply to a request for its own reaction. Both can be expected later today.
It is thought that WADA’s recent decision not to appeal the clearing of German table tennis player Dmitrij Ovtcharov was a factor in the RFEC’s deliberation of the case. There are differences in the case, though, as Ovtcharov was competing in China where there are greater incidences of Clenbuterol use. He also provided hair samples to help show his case was not a deliberate one.
Most cases of Clenbuterol positives in sport either result in a one or two-year ban, depending on whether or not the sportsperson concerned can prove they didn’t intend to ingest the substance.