Seven people linked to Operation Puerto doping scandal in cycling would be finally stand trial in Spain, facing up to two years in prison.

More than 50 cyclists – including three-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador, Ivan Basso, Jan Ullrich, and Alejandro Valverde – in the use of performance-enhancing substances or practices were implicated.

From News.smh.com.au:

The accused, who also stand to lose their professional licences, are charged with endangering athletes’ health in their handling of blood samples since they cannot be charged retroactively for a doping crime.

Cycling’s biggest doping scandal has been a scar to Spain’s reputation for fighting doping as a Madrid judge twice shelved the case.

Spanish authorities found bags of blood, blood transfusion equipment and anabolic steroids from raids in Zaragoza and Madrid in May 2006.

Valverde is the only rider from Spain who has been punished using Puerto evidence.

Tags: Alberto Contador, Alejandro Valverde, anabolic steroids, cycling, doping scandal, Ivan Basso, Jan Ullrich, Operation Puerto, Tour de France

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Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-SunGard) is keen to excel at the London Olympic games next year.

The cyclist explained at the team presentation in Copenhagen that it would not be wise to at least attempt the feat with the proximity of the event to next year’s Tour de France.

From Cyclingnews.com:

Contador finished fourth in the event in the Beijing games, 1:18 behind gold medalist Fabian Cancellara. The Swiss rider will again be a rival of Contador’s in London, to say nothing of rising time trial stars Tony Martin and Richie Porte, and pursuit gold medalist Bradley Wiggins.

Martin goes in to the event as the outright favourite after taking out the World Championships in Copenhagen in September, and both time trials of this year’s Tour de France.

The Tour meanwhile remains Contador’s main goal for next season, with the Spaniard re-affirming his commitment to sacrificing a chance to defend his Giro crown in a bid to go for the Giro-Tour double.

“It’s the kind of challenge that I say why not to?” Contador said. “To me it’s an opportunity that I really want to pursue. If I’m still going well [after the Tour], I’ll give it a really good shot.”

Tags: Alberto Contador, Bradley Wiggins, London Olympic games, Richie Porte, Tony Martin, Tour de France

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Seven people linked to Operation Puerto doping scandal of cycling would face trial in Spain, facing nearly two years in prison.

Sports doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, former Liberty Seguros team boss Manolo Saiz and five others arrested in 2006 on suspicion to offer doping services to cyclists will be tried, Madrid’s Superior Court said in a statement.

From Mercurynews.com:

Puerto implicated more than 50 cyclists—including three-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador, Ivan Basso, Jan Ullrich and Alejandro Valverde—in the use of performance-enhancing substances or practices. Spanish sports bodies could not use evidence to ban athletes because of Spanish law, which has since changed.

The accused, who also stand to lose their professional licenses, are charged with endangering athletes’ health in their handling of blood samples because they cannot be retroactively charged for a doping crime.

Cycling’s biggest doping scandal has impacted Spain’s reputation against doping because a Madrid judge twice shelved the case.

In May 2006, bags of blood, blood transfusion equipment, and anabolic steroids were found by Spanish authorities from raids in Zaragoza and Madrid.

Tags: Alberto Contador, Alejandro Valverde, anabolic steroids, cycling, doping scandal, Ivan Basso, Jan Ullrich, Operation Puerto, Tour de France

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Alberto Contador‘s case that supposedly began with the cyclist eating some prime beefsteak on the second rest day of the 2010 Tour de France would start to draw to a close for four days, from November 21-24 at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.

Contador tested positive for banned substance clenbuterol was cleared by his federation of doping but his sporting future is subjected to an appeal by WADA and the UCI.

From Cyclingweekly.co.uk:

Contador claims that his positive – for a tiny amount of clenbuterol, but a positive nonetheless for a banned substance for which he could face up to a two-year ban – was due to eating a contaminated beefsteak, brought to him by friend Jose Luis Lopez Cerron from Spain as a special treat, on the 2010 Tour’s second rest day.

The case broke in late September last year, when an ashen-faced Contador insisted in a packed news conference that he was innocent. After a six-month period in which the case shuffled back and forth at a snail’s pace between the UCI’s offices and Spain, despite a recommendation to the contrary his Federation’s verdict was: Contador was innocent.

The triple Tour winner himself is on his honeymoon in the Caribbean and not expected to return to Europe until later this week after his recent wedding to long-standing girlfriend, Macarena Pescador.

Tags: Alberto Contador, clenbuterol, doping, Tour de France, WADA

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The doping case of Alberto Contador from the 2010 Tour de France was postponed Tuesday from next week to what may be late fall.

The postponement means dragging out a matter that is more than a year old and prolonging an awkward issue for cycling.

From NYTimes.com:

The Court of Arbitration for Sport announced that Contador’s final hearing about his positive test for the banned drug clenbuterol will not happen Aug. 1 to 3, as planned. It will occur “probably in November,” the court said in a statement, to allow the parties to submit further written documents that would “complete their evidence and arguments relating to some specific scientific issues.”

The court said the World Anti-Doping Agency made the request to postpone the hearing, which had been postponed from June, and all parties agreed to it.

The three-time Tour winner claimed that he tested positive because he ate contaminated beef from Spain.

Tags: Alberto Contador, clenbuterol, cycling, doping, Tour de France

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Tour de France title defense for Alberto Contador, who was accused of using clenbuterol in the past, started in the worst possible manner.

Contador lost one minute 20 seconds to the other favorites after being held back by a crash nine kilometers from the finish of the 191.5-km first stage.

From Reuters.com:

The stage win and the first leader’s yellow jersey in this 98th edition of the race went to Belgian champion Philippe Gilbert, who surged ahead in the last 400 meters to snatch his 13th victory of the season.

Recently crowned Belgian champion and number one in the world rankings, Gilbert grabbed more honors with his first Tour stage win and his first yellow jersey.

On the finish line, Gilbert beat the last two road world champions – Australian Cadel Evans, who finished three seconds adrift and Norway’s Thor Hushovd, who came home six seconds behind.

Gilbert, who had shunned the Tour in the last two seasons, said, “It was my goal, I knew I had a great opportunity to win the stage and take the yellow jersey, which I had never done before.”

Tags: Alberto Contador, Cadel Evans, clenbuterol, Philippe Gilbert, Thor Hushovd, Tour de France

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Alberto Contador of Spain won back affection of fans despite losing his invincibility on grand Tours.

The cyclist was previously booed by fans at the start of the Tour de France.

From Reuters.com:

Contador’s immediate future is under a cloud though with the looming doping hearing.

He failed a test for the banned anabolic agent clenbuterol last July but he was cleared by the Spanish federation, only for the International Cycling Union (UCI) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to appeal before CAS.

The hearing is set for August 1-3, with a final decision expected before the end of next month.

“As far as my future is concerned, all I want is a good rest,” he said.

“All in all I had a great season. People focus on the Tour de France but we have to take into account the rest of the season,” he said. “I’m delighted with my season.”

Tags: Alberto Contador, anabolic agent, clenbuterol, doping, Tour de France, WADA

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According to the statement of the cycling world governing body two Spanish cyclists have failed the drug test.

Ezequiel Mosquera and Xacobeo-Galicia team-mate David Garcia tested positive for hydroxyethyl starch, a blood booster, in urine samples during the Vuelta a Espana.

From Espnstar.com:

Two more Spanish cyclists have failed drugs tests, world cycling’s governing body has announced.

Ezequiel Mosquera and Xacobeo-Galicia team-mate David Garcia tested positive for the blood booster hydroxyethyl starch in urine samples during the Vuelta a Espana.

The news comes after it was confirmed traces of clenbuterol had been found in samples taken from Tour de France champion Alberto Contador.

Mosquera and Garcia can request testing of their B samples to confirm the result.

Tags: Alberto Contador, clenbuterol, cyclists, David Garcia, Ezequiel Mosquera, Tour de France

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Alberto Contador welcomed the decision of the Spanish Cycling Federation, and to initiate disciplinary proceedings against him.

The rider from Spain tested positive for clenbuterol on July 21, the second rest day of the 2010 race.

From Espnstar.com:

“I am pleased that the case has come to the Federation because it means we can move forward,” the Spaniard was quoted as saying in a statement released by his spokesman Jacinto Vidarte.

The statement added: “The legal team of Alberto Contador, after receiving and carefully studying the report submitted by the International Cycling Union to the Spanish cycling federation, maintains their optimism and confidence in bringing a resolution to the case.

“The dossier prepared by the UCI and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) focuses on the hypothesis of food contamination.

“Thus, according to documents submitted by the UCI and WADA, food contamination remains the only reasonable explanation from a scientific point of view to justify the presence of the tiny amount of clenbuterol in the body of the rider during the Tour de France.”

It continued: “(Contador’s legal team) are working with the hope of a verdict in the shortest possible time, with the objective that Alberto Contador can begin the next cycling season without any obstacle.”

Contrador has been provisionally suspended by UCI and the decision was recommended by the International Cycling Union.

Tags: Alberto Contador, clenbuterol, cycling

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According to an announcement by the world cycling governing body, two Spanish riders have failed to clear the drug tests.

Ezequiel Mosquera Xacobeo-Galicia and teammate David Garcia tested positive for hydroxyethyl starch, the blood booster, in samples of urine during the Vuelta a Espana.

From Espnstar.com:

Two more Spanish cyclists have failed drugs tests, world cycling’s governing body has announced.

Ezequiel Mosquera and Xacobeo-Galicia team-mate David Garcia tested positive for the blood booster hydroxyethyl starch in urine samples during the Vuelta a Espana.

The news comes after it was confirmed traces of clenbuterol had been found in samples taken from Tour de France champion Alberto Contador.

The Spanish cyclists can, however, ask for a confirmation of the findings with their B samples.

Tags: Alberto Contador, clenbuterol, cyclists, David Garcia, Ezequiel Mosquera, Tour de France

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