The Spaniard, who won his third Tour this year, was tested during the second rest day of the race and the second B test had confirmed the presence of clenbuterol, the International Cycling Union (UCI) said in a statement. "The rider, who had already put an end to his cycling season before the result was known, was nevertheless formally and provisionally suspended as is prescribed by the World Anti-Doping Code," the statement said.
Contador blamed food contamination for the finding. "It's possible to put your hand in the fire and not burn yourself. If it had been a clear case of doping it would have come out a week later. The food poisoning came from a cut of meat from Spain," Contador told Spanish radio station Cadena Cope.
Clenbuterol can be abused by athletes to strip fat and enhance muscle size and can have short-term stimulant effects including increasing aerobic capacity, blood pressure and alertness. It has led to bans for cyclists in the past.
The concentration in Contador's A test was "400 time(s) less than what the antidoping laboratories accredited by (World Anti-Doping Agency) WADA must be able to detect," the UCI said in a statement.
Mosquera too in the net
Tour of Spain runner-up Ezequiel Mosquera and fellow Spaniard David Garcia Da Pena have both tested positive for a banned substance, the UCI said on Thursday.
The two men, who are Xacobeo team-mates, tested positive for hydroxyethyl starch, the UCI said.
