The Steaks Are High in the Tour de France

While Lance seemed to have skated from any punishment because the federal allegations against him were dropped, Alberto Contador was not as lucky: He was found guilty of doping and has been banned from racing for two years.

Contador stopped racing between August 2010, when the positive test was announced, and last February, when the Spanish federation issued its decision. Thus, the suspension will end on August 5, shortly after this year’s Tour de France.

The panel also ordered that Contador, 29, of Spain, be stripped of his 2010 Tour title, which would go to the second-place finisher, Andy Schleck of Luxembourg. He will also lose all of his results from last season, including a second victory in the Giro d’Italia.

On the last rest day of the 2010 Tour, Contador tested positive for clenbuterol, a weight-loss and muscle-building drug that some riders illicitly use during the off-season to improve their performance on big climbs in the mountains. Contador said it came from tainted steaks that a friend had delivered from Spain to France.

Like boxer Roberto Duran in his "no mas" fight with Sugar Ray Leonard, Contador blames it all on the steaks.

Cycling has turned into as clean a sport as professional wrestling or roller derby. Despite all of the crackdowns, doping continues unabated.
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