Contador insists he is clean

Cycling:Tour de France winner Alberto Contador has protested his innocence after testing positive for a banned substance during this year's race. The Spaniard tested positive for clenbuterol but claimed today that the cause was contaminated food.

Contador had previously won the Tour de France in 2007 and 2009 before this year's victory, said at a press conference: “It’s a case of contaminated food of which I am the victim.”

Speaking in his home town of Pinto near the Spanish capital, told journalists his version of events leading up to his positive test.

He said: “I was informed of this on August 24th by the UCI and on the 26th I met with them to give my version. The organiser of the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon came to the Tour and our cook asked if he could bring some good meat.

“This person bought this meat in a shop on the way to France. I don’t know where the shop gets their meat supply from. He arrived that day and on the afternoon of the 20th, a day before our rest day, the meat was cooked.”

Contador said he was not the only rider to eat the meat, but that he was one of the only ones who had who was tested afterwards.

“I was told that the only rider to go through a test after the meat was Aleksandr Vinokurov, but because he went down to dinner early, he didn’t eat any and because we don’t usually eat meat on rest days, so as not to put on weight, he didn’t ask for it either,” Contador said.

“He went to the control with me, but he hadn’t eaten the meat. Of all the other riders, none went through the control. I told all of this to UCI. The UCI understands perfectly what has happened. This is a different case because it’s a clear case of contamination, incomparable to any other clenbuterol case.

“It’s such a minimal amount that it it’s only possible to come from a food contamination. And in terms of performance it would not be any use at all — any expert can confirm this.”

Contador has already been provisionally suspended by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The UCI said in a statement that only a small amount of clenbuterol had been found in Contador’s urine sample.

“The UCI confirmed today that Spanish rider Alberto Contador returned an adverse analytical finding for clenbuterol following the analysis of urine sample taken during an in-competition test on 21st July on the second rest day of the Tour de France.”

His B sample confirmed the initial test result, leading the UCI to provisionally suspend Contador.

The UCI said: “This case required further scientific investigation before any conclusion could be drawn. The UCI continues working with the scientific support of WADA to analyse all the elements that are relevant to the case. This further investigation may take some more time.”

Contador last month signed a two-year deal to race with Team Saxo Bank. He successfully defended his Tour title while riding for the Astana team but rejected their offer of a new contract..

After winning his first Tour in 2007 he went on to join Astana but was unable to defend his title in 2008 as the Kazakhstan-based team were banned for previous doping violations.

In 2006, Contador was linked to a Spain-based blood-doping ring known as "Operation Puerto" but was cleared of any wrongdoing.

Floyd Landis is the only other Tour winner to fail a drugs test during the race after testing positive for excessive levels of the male sex hormone testosterone. Landis, who denied using performance-enhancing drugs, was stripped of the title and given a two-year ban. He finally admitted to doping last May.

*On a bad day for the image of the sport, it was also confirmed today that another two Spanish riders have positive for a banned substance.

Vuelta a España runner-up Ezequiel Mosquera and his Xacobeo team-mate David Garcia Da Pena have both tested positive for hydroxyethyl starch, the UCI said.

Hydroxyethyl starch is a plasma substitute that increases blood volume, allowing red cells to continue to deliver oxygen to the body.