Contador handed two-year doping ban

[Known by my posts [FBF]]

"The lab testing Contador found both clenbuterol, as well as high levels of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), an industrial chemical which is also found in medical devices, like intravenous bags and plastic tubing"

So how did the plasticiser get there ? in a quantity 8 to 10 times above normal

[jessbee]

Hi Coolboarder et al ... I love the cycling world and the people who people it - I really do. You raise some seriously valid points and that is the beauty of living in the free world - everyone is entitled to their opinion. It's just that mine is different to yours and I believe Contador is innocent of all charges. He is a world class talent. A prize thoroughbred. Why would he risk it all in a sport that is so vigorously tested? And for so little gain. What is blood doping after all and would it give him a huge advantage on an epic test of endurance spread over 3 weeks? Naw, it really wouldn't. Armstrong was the most tested athlete in the world, but still there is a suspicion of a tainted sample that was conveniently overlooked. He says he didn't dope and most of the world and most of the authorities believe him. Maybe. But the torment for nearly 2 years - to Conto, his friends, team mates, colleagues, family - everyone has been through the mill with him - and is it worth it? I don't think so. He's 29. He doesn't need this. It has all but destroyed the guy. Exonerated once and then vilified. Which cycling body has their brain in gear? Would Bjarne Riis, the man who held his hand up and fessed that he had once cheated to win, honestly be backing Conto 100% if he smelled even a suspicion of doubt? I don't think so. Riis would've condemned the man himself and spilled the beans. Pro cycling has become a Politburo of farcical nonsense. It's actually tainting its own sport with almost comic daftness. 1.5 years to reach a decision - what a joke!! And what an insult to Conto. If I were Conto, I'd simply say f-it and walk away. But if you're innocent, that's hard to do and at a stroke CAS have all but destroyed the man's credibility and tarnished his legacy ... and he has no defence. To me, it seems we have a collective passion to assassinate all that's any good, in any walk of life, right before our eyes. We want to see people tainted, sullied, brought down and humbled - especially the best of us - whether it's Marilyn Monroe, JFK, Lance Armstrong, Adele, Kylie, Elvis - it doesn't matter who, we seem to want them to suffer immensely for the pleasure and delight they give us and the accolades and success they've earned. Odd behaviour, don't you think? You make some good points for the prosecution of Conto, but I don't buy it and to parody Shakespeare: Methinks something stinks in the court of CAS! Happy cycling and stay off the dope - it doesn't work - trust me!

[Beo20]

@ all of those who think Bertie is clean:
Do you really think that such a multimillion $ athlete eats a steak prepared by his wife / partner / mother? The whole Saxo Bank team is organised around him and his food is prepared and sourced in such an amateur way? the guy was caught.
For all that matters I really like him. He is a great talent to watch and I prefer him to the mild-tempered Andy (who does not know how to change down gears).
But maybe he had a bad day in training, maybe he did not feel 100% one day... the temptation is too strong to resist. And he got caught

[LivingDead2]

I think it's Karma for capitalising on Schleck's mechanical.

However, I would prefer to see him keep the tour victories (I doubt Schleck really wants a victory by default) and the two year ban start from today...as it stands the punishment has all but been served.

[coolboarder]

I think you are living in cloud cuckoo land jessbee, your main defence is that Bertie would be stupid to risk getting caught: that doesn't seem to have stopped countless others from taking the chance, why should he be any different? Why would Floyd Landis take testosterone knowing he would be tested? Nobody is taking any pleasure in bringing him down nor operating a witch-hunt (the Armstrong case may however contain a measure of both of those), there are rules in sport for a reason, he transgressed them, he deserves his punishment.

[James Warrener]

I don't think he is clean but I don't think too many of them are... does that make it a level playing field if he did cheat?

[jessbee]

Har, har - thnx for the gentle insult - I appreciate your gracious equanimity in seeing all sides of the argument. Nice. Cloud cuckoo? Not at all. I live in the real world where things are hard earned and I see far too many begrudging people who are ready to jump on people's heads without ever being sure of the real facts. Landis was part of a different era and a whole different mentality. That of Virenque & Pantani - both stinking cheats. The finding of clenbuterol in the Conto sample was miniscule. CAS said themselves that it could easily have been ingested in a tainted food supplement - ever had those yourself? You know, vitamins, diet supplements, Horlicks, energy bars and other such fake nonsense. They boost your belief but actually do nothing for your performance. And if that is what they are saying, then what are they actually saying? And do they know how daft it all sounds? Go ahead - put the man on trial before a 12 person jury and let them decide based on an interpretation of the facts and the counsel of prosecution and defence. Then you'll have your answer - as the court of the people see it and judge it - and all argument is at an end. But to your way of thinking, he's guilty before he's ever got in the box. How does that work?

[Carla Sands]

At least if he was put on trial in front of a 12 man jury, his blood values and the evidence of Michael Ashenden would also be taken into consideration. Most of those supporting Contador here are focusing on the fact that it was a minute amount of Clenbuterol when that isn't necessarily the whole story.

[Richard Hallett]

@jessbee:
"Landis was part of a different era and a whole different mentality. That of Virenque & Pantani - both stinking cheats." Both were pretty much contemporaneous with Lance Armstrong, whom you appear to believe to be innocent.
"What is blood doping after all and would it give him a huge advantage on an epic test of endurance spread over 3 weeks? Naw, it really wouldn't." Ask Bjarne Riis how effective is EPO, which does the same job as blood doping. And where do you get the idea Riis would have condemned a doper if he knew of one?
"Stay off the dope - it doesn't work - trust me!" You have tried it?
But to your way of thinking, he's [Contador] guilty before he's ever got in the box. How does that work? Er, he has been found guilty by the Court of Arbitration in Sport? Note that he is guilty under the doctrine of strict liability, which is of debatable moral force. But that's a different argument

[martyn gall]

Jessbee
I might be reading it wrong but your post's IMO bases much of you findings on your want to believe rather than fact. Blood dopng as is my undestanding works just ask vinokourov it works during extreme endurnace events like the tour as your red blood cell count depletes over the duration of the event quite significantly and as these are what carry oxygen an therefore give you your endurance. Now keeping this in mind a blood transfusion using fresh blood which was taken earlier in the year midway through a tour would clearly givey you a signifcant advantage similar to EPO as richard suggests and is clearly dificult to detect.

You are probably right about Jury as well having sat on on myself IMO leymen are not the people to be judging these type of cases there is a lot of scientific detail and readings and not as straight forward as you sugest and would probably find him innocent due to lack of understanding. You also ask why would an athlete at the top of his game want to do such a thing? Well what if that is how that athlte got there in the 1st place and is worried about becoming an also ran possibly like last years tour.

Now my opinion on the whole thing is this I really cannot be sure if the guy is innocent or Guilty as I don't profess to have enough of a clue about all of this Iagree te clenbuterol is an insignificant amount but the rexcuse for it being there is at best weak IMO and offers no explaination for the plasticiser. Lance on the other Hand IMO must have to have hammered the riders he did who were proven to have cheated and some of the times he climbed those mountains in were unbelieveable when you compare them to other generations