News has surfaced that this year’s Tour de France winner Alberto Contador failed a drug test. Small traces of a banned substance were found in the three-time Tour de France winner’s urine. Since Floyd Landis already tried the whiskey excuse back in 2006, Contador explains food contamination is to blame for failing. Contador tested positive on July 21, during the final stages of the tour and says he ate a bad steak.
Clenbuterol is sometimes given to cows, pigs and other animals to increase their growth rate but has never shown up positive in a drug test.
Contador beat second place rider Andy Schleck (Luxembourg) by 39 seconds. Next to Schleck, the next happiest guy is Lance Armstrong, who has stolen the cycling headlines (the few headlines that they have) for steroid allegations.
Cyclists may not have a conscious when it comes to steroids, but that’s a whole other story when it comes to rider adequate.
The cycling world is in the midst of a controversy over the yellow jersey winner. During yesterday’s Stage 15, Andy Schleck started the race with an 38-second lead over second place Alberto Contador. As Schleck attacked during the final climb of Stage 15 his bike chain derailed cuasing him to stop and fix his bike. Contador capitalized on Schelck’s misfortuentes, passing the rider and taking the lead by eight seconds.
Many are claiming Contador’s move was in violation of cycling’s unwritten rule not to pass a rival during their misfortene i.e mecanical or crash. Earlier in the Tour, Contador waited for Schleck when he crashed, but Schleck felt betrayed by Contador after he attacked while he fixed his bike chain. “I’m really disappointed. My stomach is full of anger, and I want to take my revenge. I will take my revenge in the coming days” Schelck said.
The Tour enters what many to believe is the most difficult stage today.
Lance Armstrong finished Stage 15 of the Tour de France in 31st place. Despite Armstrong being 40 minutes behind Yellow Jersey winner Alberto Contador, you would think he still remained a Tour contender by reading the sports headlines.
Armstrong is overshadowing this year’s Tour de France because he is being investigated by federal authorities for possible fraud and doping charges. It has long been speculated Armstrong used steroids to win his seven Tour de France titles during the early and mid 2000s. Now grand jury subpoenas have been issued to 3 time Tour winner Greg LeMond, 2006 winner Floyd Landis, and other US Postal Service team members.
LeMond will appear in a federal courthouse in LA on July 30 and has been the most outspoken about Armstrong’s drug use throughout the investigation.
In the latest allegations, LeMond has claimed Armstrong offered to pay someone $300,000 to implicate LeMond in an EPO performance enhancer scandal. LeMond even went as far as telling Journal Du Dimanche, a French newspaper, “For him, it’s the beginning of the end.”
Some Armstrong critics have even said this year’s poor Tour performance is due to Armstrong not using steroids because he is under the microscope.
Despite allegations, Armstrong has never tested positive for steroids. The 97th Tour de France ends this Sunday as Stage 20 finishes at Champs-Elysees in Paris.
Lance Edward Armstrong (born Lance Edward Gunderson on September 18, 1971) is an American professional road racing cyclist who is best known for winning the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support. He rides for UCI ProTour team Team RadioShack.
In October 1996 he was diagnosed with testicular cancer, with a tumor that had metastasized to his brain and lungs. His cancer treatments included brain and testicular surgery and extensive chemotherapy, and his prognosis was originally poor. He went on to win the Tour de France each year from 1999 to 2005, and is the only person to win seven times, having broken the previous record of five wins, shared by Miguel Indurain, Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx and Jacques Anquetil.
In 1999, he was named the ABC Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year. In 2000 he won the Prince of Asturias Award in Sports. In 2002, Sports Illustrated magazine named him Sportsman of the Year. He was also named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year for the years 2002–2005. He received ESPN’s ESPY Award for Best Male Athlete in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006, and won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Overseas Personality Award in 2003. Armstrong retired from racing on July 24, 2005, at the end of the 2005 Tour de France, but returned to competitive cycling in January 2009, and finished third in the 2009 Tour de France.
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