Professional Cycling For the Fans - Contador banned two years!

Andy gets his TDF win

http://www.itv.com/tourdefrance/2011/news/cas-bans--alberto-contador-for-two-years-for-doping-offences-and-strips-him-of-2010-title/?cmpid=nl_120602CYCLING

A hollow victory

It is the Tour the one to be banned for this. Poor chap. Go Contador!.

"I ate tainted meat!" C'mon Really? If your gonna deny doping atleast do it right, the lance way, hire an army of lawyers and start a cancer benefit to cover it all up.

Well, if this week with Armstrong exonerated and Contador hung has not proven the golden rule, I don't know what will. Golden rule? THAT WITH THE GOLD MAKES THE RULES!!

BTW, you might as well hand him the Vuelta title right now because it is as if they knew he was coming!!

Horrible for the sport. If no result is ever final, there is little point to watching the event.

The powers-that-be have got to find a way to conclude this stuff within a few days of the finish -- the fewer the better. The multi-year process leaves far too much room for politics and money to alter the outcomes. And coming in second (with the accompanying lack of scrutiny) appears to be the best way to end up the winner!

It is the Tour the one to be banned for this. Poor chap. Go Contador!.

Contador proved that he's not a sportsman when he profited on AS's mechanical. While I don't feel he deserved the win because of that this isn't the way for Shleck to get his win.

This is just more bad press for our sport.

Horrible for the sport. If no result is ever final, there is little point to watching the event.

The powers-that-be have got to find a way to conclude this stuff within a few days of the finish -- the fewer the better. The multi-year process leaves far too much room for politics and money to alter the outcomes. And coming in second (with the accompanying lack of scrutiny) appears to be the best way to end up the winner!

Actually, Schleck coming in second likely got tested almost, if not just as much, as the guy in first and third. I will be honest enough to say I can't stand Schleck at all, so him getting the win this way, which is BTW the only one he will ever have, is almost as good as spitting on his face!

Yes, I am feeling hateful today LOL...........

http://www.pbkblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Bjarne_Riis.jpg

lol..Andy won't win...not with such a flat tour....get ready for all the powerhouse sprinters to crush it this year/
I say this because I wont recognize any win with an asterix

I for one, like Contador

ibtl

lol

Two years is to long!

It also took way to long for the ruling.

I for one, like Contador

this news completely surprises me, since your a huge pic of Contador punching a (stupid) spectactor who got too close as your sig for most of 2011. :lol:

Two years is to long!

It also took way to long for the ruling.

For some reason the two years are actually up August of this year, so in reality it's more like six months.

Are you guys seeing the brief? In para 274 sections d and e, they tracked down the actual farmer who sold the veal to the butcher, had him pull his tags and records for the exact animal! That's some good work right there by the prosecution.

HA! They nailed him because of veal! Conti's handlers bought a special, expensive type of meat, and tried to argue it was from South America. The panel rejected that a meat such as that would have been imported. Conti was sentenced for his fine taste!

For some reason the two years are actually up August of this year, so in reality it's more like six months.

He got about 6 months "time served",for the period between two rulings when he was banned, which I understand, but I don't get why they then started the clock retroactively in January 2011, considering he raced all year. WTF? Is it because they are going to vacate all his results? Still doesn't seem right.

Is it because they are going to vacate all his results? Still doesn't seem right.

Yes, all results between the 2010 TdF and now are null, including his Giro title last year.

Meh.

Horrible for the sport. If no result is ever final, there is little point to watching the event.

The powers-that-be have got to find a way to conclude this stuff within a few days of the finish -- the fewer the better. The multi-year process leaves far too much room for politics and money to alter the outcomes. And coming in second (with the accompanying lack of scrutiny) appears to be the best way to end up the winner!

This ^

Are you guys seeing the brief? In para 274 sections d and e, they tracked down the actual farmer who sold the veal to the butcher, had him pull his tags and records for the exact animal! That's some good work right there by the prosecution.


HA! They nailed him because of veal! Conti's handlers bought a special, expensive type of meat, and tried to argue it was from South America. The panel rejected that a meat such as that would have been imported. Conti was sentenced for his fine taste!

It less to do with taste and more to do with a different culture than the US. In France, even Mickey D's hamburger is traceable - "each animal has a passport showing where it was born, raised, and slaughtered, according to McDonald's France. That's called traceability, and we don't yet have such a national system in place." (http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/01/24/145698222/why-mcdonalds-in-france-doesnt-feel-like-fast-food?sc=fb&cc=fp)

Horrible for the sport. If no result is ever final, there is little point to watching the event.

The powers-that-be have got to find a way to conclude this stuff within a few days of the finish -- the fewer the better. The multi-year process leaves far too much room for politics and money to alter the outcomes. And coming in second (with the accompanying lack of scrutiny) appears to be the best way to end up the winner!
My post after Stage 9 of the 2011 Giro...


I would just race for second from the start and bank on AC winning the race but getting his ban reinstated afterwards.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/735543-Giro-Stage-9-spoiler?p=12646361&viewfull=1#post12646361

YESSSSSSSSSSS

It was cheap enough he attacked while Andy had mechanical issues, hes a prick and a cheater and got what he deserves

Oh well. Come back next year.

Horrible for the sport. If no result is ever final, there is little point to watching the event.



Agreed. It really should be a ~six month one and done kind of proposition.

My post after Stage 9 of the 2011 Giro...



http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/735543-Giro-Stage-9-spoiler?p=12646361&viewfull=1#post12646361

Skill.

Are you guys seeing the brief? In para 274 sections d and e, they tracked down the actual farmer who sold the veal to the butcher, had him pull his tags and records for the exact animal! That's some good work right there by the prosecution.

I had not read that. Bravo, then.

But why did it take 18 months to do all this? Shame on the Spanish cycling federation.

eh, does he have to give back any of the money he earned? If not, then it's really just a 6 month penalty. At this point, it's such old news I couldn't really care. Felt the same way (no matter which way the result came back) when I heard about LA a couple weeks back.

Horrible for the sport. If no result is ever final, there is little point to watching the event.

The powers-that-be have got to find a way to conclude this stuff within a few days of the finish -- the fewer the better. The multi-year process leaves far too much room for politics and money to alter the outcomes. And coming in second (with the accompanying lack of scrutiny) appears to be the best way to end up the winner!

Very well said!

If you read the summary, it is clear that the tainted meat defense was bogus. In point 16 of the material facts it is stated that WADA found clenbuterol in a sample of Contador's blood taken on the MORNING OF JULY 20, before he claims to have eaten the beef. So case closed... he doped and got caught.

It is the Tour the one to be banned for this. Poor chap. Go Contador!.

Agreed. Sad and surprised.

Have fun next year, at least we are sure this year will have a clean winner

If you read the summary, it is clear that the tainted meat defense was bogus. In point 16 of the material facts it is stated that WADA found clenbuterol in a sample of Contador's blood taken on the MORNING OF JULY 20, before he claims to have eaten the beef. So case closed... he doped and got caught.

If it's that clear cut, I wonder if there will be any blowback on the Spanish cycling federation that cleared him...

"I ate tainted meat!" C'mon Really? If your gonna deny doping atleast do it right, the lance way, hire an army of lawyers and start a cancer benefit to cover it all up.


Outstanding! Another candidate for POTY. Agree w/ everything youve said.

I'm sure Cadel is not going to miss him this year at the TdF. His tour just got a whole lot easier without having to mark AC.

If it's that clear cut, I wonder if there will be any blowback on the Spanish cycling federation that cleared him...

In my mind, what looks worse for the Spanish Cycling Federation are points 25, 26 and 27 under section III of the report where in says they proposed the 1 year ban (25), Contador refused the ban (26) so they exonerated him (27). It reads as though they were doing what their golden boy wanted.

I said this elsewhere: AC can beat the Schleck's but he can't beat his meat!

Have fun next year, at least we are sure this year will have a clean winner

You really think you can be sure of that?

Seems silly to consider that he's "served time" and that the remaining 6 months is all the time he'll be away from competition. If he hadn't competed over the last year and a half, that would be one thing...but he competed and teams developed strategies to combat AC in the peloton.

I wish he had taken the first deal. It sucks for the sport and I blame everyone involved for letting it get to this point. It's over. Let him serve his suspension and come back strong. He'll continue to dominate, he's that good. I still respect the guy, he's matured before my eyes. This one black mark will be a distant memory in a few years. If Andy or Cadel wins the TDF they'll still wish that Contador had been there. Looking forward to the season. Cheers

Have fun next year, at least we are sure this year will have a clean winner

i wouldn't bet the house on it...if anything, i think it'll be worse...just like the power vacuum after armstrong retired. a bunch of lesser riders with
clearly less talent than contador trying to take 'the next step up.' i fear we may have another floyd landis situation....hopefully not.

He'll continue to dominate, he's that good. I still respect the guy, he's matured before my eyes. This one black mark will be a distant memory in a few years. If Andy or Cadel wins the TDF they'll still wish that Contador had been there. Looking forward to the season. Cheers
I am not disagreeing with the idea that Contador is one of the elite riders in the world. He is.

But, he won TdF in 2007 by just 23 seconds after Rasmussen was kicked out. He did crush it in 2009. He won 2010 by only 39 seconds, taking the yellow after Schleck had chain problems and now Contador has been stripped of that win. He was not really a factor in 2011 other than that the competition thought he would be a factor. I don't think the 2012 TdF winner will really care whether or not Alberto is racing.

i do think contador will come back in this year's vuelta and absolutely crush it, winning by 7 minutes +.

I'm just shocked that tainted meat defense didn't work out for him. Seemed like a winner. :lol:

Sadly Contador- the strongest rider, wont be in the TDf this year. I don't think Cadel would've won it over AC this year. Andy had a perfect tour last year, no crashes and following Cancellara wheel, but still cound'nt win the tour. And to say Contador took advantage of AS mechanical last year is crap because AC was on the deffensive at that point, so he did'nt need to "add" to the 36 senconds but "defend" it

Questions:

The decision was based on that they couldn't find any evidence
that the trace PEDs came from contaminated meat, right?

Yet, was there any evidence that he knowingly took PED's?
Has anybody even accused him of taking PED's?
Were there any witnesses?

Don't get me wrong. If he did, he did it.
But I've never seen anybody convicted on "negative evidence" before.

I think this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=yhuHsW3pnPY#t=23s)will be his response to those that banned him.

Answers to those questions and more interesting analysis is here:
http://inrng.com/2012/02/contador-cas-verdict/

You have to be joking about the negative evidence. It's a zero-tolerance substance. Any of it found is a ban. He offered reasons as to why it was there and the reasons were totally unwound.

Which leaves the strong possibility that he doped. That's the reason for the 2 year ban. They have found actual tainted meat before in these cases and the punishments have been lighter than 2 years. (I don't know if it has ever gotten someone completely off the hook.)

Questions:

The decision was based on that they couldn't find any evidence
that the trace PEDs came from contaminated meat, right?

Yet, was there any evidence that he knowingly took PED's?
Has anybody even accused him of taking PED's?
Were there any witnesses?

Don't get me wrong. If he did, he did it.
But I've never seen anybody convicted on "negative evidence" before.

I think this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=yhuHsW3pnPY#t=23s)will be his response to those that banned him.

No, the evidence was that he failed a urine test and had PEDs in his system. They (CAS) did not absolve him of responsibility for that failed test because there was no evidence that they came from contaminated meat. Therefore he was rightly convicted.