Doping: Why we should be looking to cycling's future and not its past

Doping has always been a tense issue in cycling probably ever since people stated racing them in the 1800s.

Over the past month it has been three names that have kept cycling in the news, for all the wrong reasons. Alberto Contador, Jan Ullrich and Lance Armstrong have all been subject to doping investigations, which have all come to some sort of conclusion.

So far, the results of all of these cases have pretty much sent me to despair with the doping authorities. No matter if you believe they are innocent or guilty, I don’t think anyone can be in any doubt that the handling of these three cases has been nothing more than a shambles.

Contador ban: why this isn't the end

Finally comes the news that we were waiting for, CAS made their decision on the Alberto Contador clenbuterol case.

It has been 19 months since Contador gave that now infamous positive test and we may still not have a conclusive answer. The Spaniard has 30 days to appeal and could announce his intentions, in a press conference on 7^th February.  If he does choose to appeal, he could have competed through his entire ban and not feel the effects of it.

Whether you think Contador is innocent or guilty, you have to admit that this case has been handled as badly as it possibly could have been. I personally lean towards the side of the two/three-time Tour de France winner. However, if he is going to be punished it should be done properly and should actually be a punishment.

Fabian Cancellara discusses Alberto Contador's ban

Alberto Contador's Clenbuterol Timeline

Alberto Contador has announced his intentions to compete in the 2012 Tour de France and Olympic Games. However his entry hangs in the balance, depending on the verdict in his pending Clenbuterol case. In case you have been under a rock for the past year, here is a timeline from failed test to CAS hearing.

21^st July 2010  – Contador takes a test on the second rest day, during the Tour de France, after dinner with the team.

30^th September 2010 – It is revealed that the test taken on 21^st July, during the Tour de France, had tested positive for micro levels of Clenbuterol. Contador immediately calls a press conference and says the stray clenbuterol came from contaminated steak.

6^th October 2011 – Dr Jordi Segura, who developed the testing method that found the minimal levels of Clenbuterol in Contador’s blood, says the plasticizers also found are a certain indication of a blood transfusion. It has never been officially confirmed that plasticizers were found, however, the New York Times and L’Equipe printed these claims.

Is Alberto Contador Guilty of Doping?

Alberto Contador is fighting for his cycling career after he tested positive for metabolism stimulant clenbuterol on July 21st 2010.

If he is found guilty by the UCI he would become only the second winner of the Tour de France to be stripped of his title for doping; the other was Floyd Landis in 2006. However is Alberto Contador guilty and should he be banned for two years? In my opinion the answer to this question is no and for more than one reason.

Contador the Man
Normally I would be the first person to be asking for a rider to be banned if they have been doping. However, with Contador my feelings are very different. I have never been a fan of el pistolero despite his superior riding and I haven’t been converted as a fan. However, after I had the fortune to meet him during an interview in Spain in 2009 in came to like him as a person. He is a very unassuming man who you wouldn’t think he had enjoyed as much success in cycling as he has. He never seemed like the type of man to take an unfair advantage in that way.

Alberto Contador tries to Save Career as he Submits Clenbuterol Defence Docoments

Alberto Contador should be enjoying his winter off after winning his third Tour de France at the age of 27 and joining Bjarne Riis at the SunGuard Saxo Bank team for 2011.

Instead he has just submitted his defence documents on Friday 26th November 2010 in his aim to salvage what has been a brilliant career for the Spaniard so far. Contador has been locked in battle with the Union Cycliste International (UCI – Cycling governing body) since he tested positive for banned substance clenbuterol in September. So how has el pistolero’s season gone from riding high to down in the dumps?

Franco Pellizotti Claims Damages from UCI after he is Cleared in Investigation

Franco Pellizotti has asked the UCI for damages after cycling’s governing body launched an investigation in to abnormal readings in his biological passport.

Pellizotti was clear to race on October 21st after months of legal battles after the UCI announced on May 3rd that they would investigate irregularities in his biological passport. He was represented in front of the TNA (Italian national anti-doping court) by team doctor Roberto Corsetti. The TNA has also asked the UCI to pay up €5000 for the investigation.

According to Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport the UCI based its findings on 22 separate controlled tests. The first came back in December 2008 at Pellizotti’s house and the other two in 2009 at a training camp in April and three months later in Monaco just before the Tour de France.

Italian Cycling in Disarray

Two other Italian riders Francesco De Bonis and Pietro Caucchioli were suspended around the same time for suspicious findings in their passport, but it was decided Pellizotti’s case was different. The UCI is expected to bring an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.