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| Contador's strong showing in the Algarve proves he's still a force to be reckoned with in the pro cycling. |
Contador returned to racing this week after being cleared of doping by the Royal Spanish Cycling Federation. Birkenhead-born Cummings now holds a six-second advantage over the Spaniard. Cummings was among a select group of riders who attacked on the Alto do Malhao during the 179-kilometre third stage from Tavira to Malhao in Portugal, before outpacing his two rivals at the summit.
He may have been cleared by the Spanish federation (RFEC) for his positive test for Clenbuterol at the Tour de France, but Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank) is not out of the woods just yet. He’s still waiting for the UCI and the World Anti-doping Agency (WADA) to decide whether they will appeal the decision before the end of March, but he also could face new and more serious doping accusations.
Professor Gerard Dine, one of the founders of the biological profile which became the French “longitudinal profile” and the international “biological passport” used by the UCI, thinks Contador’s samples should be re-analyzed in order to detect plasticizer traces. The presence of plasticizers in a sample would strongly suggest blood bag use. Asked if new analysis were possible, the French anti-doping expert told Sport24.com: “If the method [of plasticizer detection, Ed.] is validated, we can think that there will be a retroactive process. Then, [Contador] could be incriminated not because of Clenbuterol but because of an auto-transfusion.”
As Spyns former clients well know, doping is professional cycling's "dirty little secret" and I can only hope that Contador is cleared. Following the Floyd Landis debacle, drug-free Tour de France champions will reinforce the positive aspects of pro riding and perhaps our Tour de France business.
Spyns is an active travel company based in Whister, BC (Canada) and Beaujolais France. Spyns specializes in 2011 Tour de France packages for both riders and non-riders. We specialize in providing clients with Tour de France bike and non-biking packages with Paris grandstand seats and VIP access. Spyns offers active holidays to Europe including trips to the 2011 Tour de France. For more information about Spyns 2011 Tour de France tours, please go to http://www.tdf-tours.com/ or http://www.spyns.com/. You can also call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.
