Contador suspended for one year January 27 2011 at 03:40am -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Associated Press Cyclist Alberto Contador has been suspended for a year, according to reports in El Pais. Madrid - The Spanish cycling federation (RFEC) has decided to suspend Tour de France champion Alberto Contador for one year over his failed doping test in last year's race, El Pais newspaper reported on Wednesday. Federation president Juan Carlos Castano told Reuters the RFEC had informed the rider of the competition committee's decision but said the report from El Pais and similar articles by other Spanish media were “invented”. “Nothing has been told to anyone who is not the rider and in any case this is not the definitive decision,” Castano said. “The definitive one will be made public in 10 days and not before and at no time can they (the media) know the proposal because it is completely secret.” El Pais, without identifying the source of its information, earlier said the preliminary decision by the RFEC's competition committee was given to Contador at midday local time and the Spaniard had 10 days to appeal before a final decision was made. The newspaper also said the RFEC had decided to strip Contador of the 2010 Tour title. Contador's spokesman could not be reached for immediate comment. A spokesperson for cycling's world governing body (UCI) was unable to confirm the RFEC decision and said his organisation would be in touch with the federation on Thursday. The rider, who has been provisionally suspended since August, won the Tour last year for a third time but it later emerged he had tested positive for the banned anabolic agent clenbuterol. Contador has denied deliberate wrongdoing, saying the failed test was due to contaminated meat. Even if he is cleared of wrongdoing by the federation, the 28-year-old will not be able to put the controversy behind him right away since the UCI and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) may challenge the decision. Speaking before the El Pais report, Contador told Spanish radio from his training base with his new Saxo Bank team in Mallorca that he was “motivated and focused on his work”. “Right now the most important thing is to remove yourself a bit from everything that is going on around you and focus on working, which is what can bear fruit in the future,” he said. The UCI, which has been rocked by several high profile doping scandals in recent years, could appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) if it feels the RFEC has been too lenient with Contador. The rider may also be able to take his case to the CAS, sport's final court of appeal. One of only five men with titles in all three grand Tours, Contador has threatened to end his career if he is punished. He won the 2010 Tour de France by 39 seconds from Luxembourg's Andy Schleck who will be regarded as the hot favourite for this year's race should Contador miss the event. - Reuters
