Alberto Contador tests positive for clenbuterol

[jules21]

i like this:

Contador notably stated that in Spain, cattle were being illegally treated with Clenbuterol. "This is absolutely false," the association [of Spanish meat producers, Asoprovac] stated. "In 2010, the authorities carried out 14,179 controls, and there was not one positive case for Clenbuterol."

that's more controls than even lance armstrong was subjected to! if, as he and other pros love to say, that proves lance was clean, then there can surely be no doubt that spanish meat is clean

[brentono]

Simple... 4 words.
South American Beef Imports.
(to the EU)
(Clenbuterol, is NOT banned there)

[heay]

Simple... 4 words.
South American Beef Imports.
(to the EU)
(Clenbuterol, is NOT banned there)

Why would they when they produce their own???

[brentono]

Simple... 4 words.
South American Beef Imports.
(to the EU)
(Clenbuterol, is NOT banned there)

Why would they when they produce their own???

heay-hey, wake-up
DYOR... have a read about Mercosur (Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina are in the group)

South America's Mercosur trade bloc is becoming established as the top world producer of beef, with 40 percent of the international market. But while in Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay production and exports are growing, Argentina, the home of the legendary "asado" barbecue, is falling behind.

Mercosur members already supply 82% of all beef imported by the European Union and 64% of all chicken, according to EU 2009 statistics. Before the 2008 crisis, EU exports to Mercosur members increased an average 15% annually during the previous four years and investments added to 165 billion Euros, a sum which is higher than that invested in China, India and Russia, points out the paper.

[heay]

Hey brentono ....

All the evidence is there to say he doped. He has only claimed that it was tainted meat, all the test were done they went to the butcher to find the source of where he gets it from. What did they find no trace of the drug?????

How many times can ths guy get away with dopping before he falls on his sword? Read the below:

Operation PuertoAfter final rosters had been presented for the 2006 Tour de France, Contador and five other members of the Astana-Würth team were barred from competing due to alleged connections with the Operación Puerto doping case. Contador and four other members of his team at the time, Astana-Würth, were eventually cleared of all charges on 26 July 2006 by the Spanish courts and later two out of the five (including Contador) were cleared by the UCI.[16] Each received a written document signed by Manuel Sánchez Martín, secretary for the Spanish court, stating that "there are not any type of charges against them nor have there been adopted any type of legal action against them."[67]

In May 2006, a document from the summary of the investigation (Documento 31) was released. In it, Contador's initials (A.C.) were associated with a hand-written note saying, "Nada o igual a J.J." (Spanish for "Nothing or like J.J."). J.J. were the initials of Jörg Jaksche, who later admitted to being guilty of blood doping prepared by the Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes in 2005.[68][69] Contador was questioned in December 2006 by the magistrate in charge of the Puerto file. The rider declared to Judge Antonio Serrano that he did not know Eufemanio Fuentes personally.[70] According to French daily Le Monde, he refused then to undergo a DNA test that would have judged whether or not he had any link to the blood bags that were found in the investigation.[71]

On 28 July 2007, Le Monde, citing what it claimed was an investigation file to which it had access, stated that Contador's name appeared in several documents found during Operación Puerto.[72] A second reference includes initials of riders’ names that appeared on another training document, although neither of those two references could be linked to doping practices.[73]

On 30 July 2007, German doping expert Werner Franke accused Contador of having taken drugs in the past and being prescribed a doping regimen by Fuentes, who was connected with Operación Puerto.[74][75] He passed his allegations on to the German authorities on 31 July 2007.[76] Contador denied the accusations, saying "I was in the wrong team at the wrong time and somehow my name got among the documents."[76] On 10 August, Contador publicly declared himself to be a clean rider in face of suspicions about his alleged links to the Operación Puerto blood doping ring.[77]

What is not said in this was that when they raided the homes and hotels of the team that there was a bag of blood with his name on it? Why would you have your name on a bag of blood? He stated that he knew nothing about it and that someone was trying to set him up?

What kind of lame defense is that.

I'm sorry that most of us are not AC fans but the fact is he has broken the rules. I was a runner for 24 years before changing over to cycling and I had to know what I was putting into my mouth, this was done by either my wife or myself. I would not drink from a bottle that neither of had held or knew of it's whereabouts and if you needed treatment for a virus my doctors knew they had to contact the sports governing body before and had their OK that I was taking a drug that was on the banned list to get over whatever it was at the time so I didn't give a positive result without the correct paths being taken.

When you take up a sport for life/job this is the sort of dedication you also put into your personal life on top of the training.

[toolonglegs]

Oh looky looky...clenbuterol has been seized amongst other products following a tip off from a pro cyclist...7 people arrested,hopefully one of them squeals on who they sold to.
Oh no,I only bought it to give my cows .
Oh you mean the cows I sell in my little market stall!.
No,no... we only sell it to cows in Girona.
Really?..isn't there a lot of cycling cows based there!.

[Aushiker]

Oh looky looky...clenbuterol has been seized amongst other products following a tip off from a pro cyclist...7 people arrested,hopefully one of them squeals on who they sold to.
Oh no,I only bought it to give my cows .
Oh you mean the cows I sell in my little market stall!.
No,no... we only sell it to cows in Girona.
Really?..isn't there a lot of cycling cows based there!.

Well said ... story in a eh more formal manner here

Andrew

[Mulger bill]

Amateur sportsmen eh? Was one of them a butcher in his pro life?

Explains EVERYTHING.

[jules21]

Contador Cleared Of Doping By International Cycling Federation's Doping-Clearing Board
February 18, 2011

MADRID—The ICF's Doping-Clearing Board has investigated and cleared 2010 Tour de France winner Alberto Contador of all doping charges, allowing the three-time Tour champion to return to competition immediately, officials announced Monday. "We have concluded a full, in-depth investigation into Contador's case and summarily cleared him," said Doping-Clearing Board president Fernando Uruburu, who has previously been tasked with the investigations of Alessandro Petacchi, Lance Armstrong, and, on an earlier occasion in 2007, Contador—all of whom were cleared. "Of course, Contador's case is subject to review by the World Doping-Clearing Agency as well as the Spanish Doping-Clearing Council, but we fully expect them to clear him as well." The Doping-Clearing Board is still refusing to review the doping case of disgraced 2006 Tour winner Floyd Landis, who they claim is "a twerp."

[brentono]

Amusing, Jules21, your statement "... surely be no doubt that spanish meat is clean"
I wasn't sure if it was toungue-in-cheek.
So to clarify, for the others (as a bit of info never hurts) made referance to South American beef imports.
(Mercosur members already supply 82% of all beef imported by the European Union, including Spain)

So the whole "media" meat issue is smoke-and-mirrors (like the plasticiser)

Contador has been cleared, and is now racing.

... now back to normal programming (babble!)

[brentono]

Contador Cleared Of Doping By International Cycling Federation's Doping-Clearing Board
February 18, 2011

as stated ...

IMO, they will not appeal.

[jules21]

brentono, clen is banned in all meat in spain - whether the meat was processed in spain, or imported. where the meat originates from is irrelevant.

[brentono]

brentono, clen is banned in all meat in spain - whether the meat was processed in spain, or imported. where the meat originates from is irrelevant.

Jules21.
Your statement is quite sweeping, and I don't think it would hold water.
You can do your own research,
1. from my personal experience with these systems-controls are only a guide, and not absolute.
2. the fact that, with the expansion of the Mercosur group, and the increase of the quantity of
Mercosur product (beef) to the EU, Spanish and many other EU farmers, are complaining that
there are not the same controls on South American producers, from my readings.
DYOR.

[jules21]

i'm pretty familiar with the processes used to manage product standards. the controls are made on products (e.g. beef) sold in a country. it doesn't matter where the product was made or bred - they will test it before it is sold. the fact it came from south america, who may allow clen to be used, is irrelevant - as for spanish producers, the control is imposed before it is supplied to market in spain.

[brentono]

FME.
You can't test every individual item.
You select a test group from batches (usually 3 per batch)
You may test 1 batch in 10 (depending on the size of your lab)
Much can be missed... it is only a guide to the whole system.
(analysis is only monitoring and evaluating the system)
FME (for Australian Exports) many were halfway to their destination by the time
we were testing... and for consumables like meat, more likely so.
(my punt, meat would be on the shelf in Spain, before it was even tested )
IMO Rarely would an import/export be held up/cancelled, due to analysis.
(I would say never, but many would be shocked. )

[jules21]

they reportedly did 14,000 tests of spanish beef last year and found nada. contador would have us believe that the piece of beef he ate was an exception - 1 in 14,000 or less. hard to believe. you have to start wondering if there's a more likely explanation..

[sogood]

they reportedly did 14,000 tests of spanish beef last year and found nada. contador would have us believe that the piece of beef he ate was an exception - 1 in 14,000 or less. hard to believe. you have to start wondering if there's a more likely explanation..

Tthe Spanish Cycling federation feels that even for a 1:1.000.000 chance, they can't possibly ignore that possibility. I don't know what was in their tapas meal before that decision.

[MichaelB]

they reportedly did 14,000 tests of spanish beef last year and found nada. contador would have us believe that the piece of beef he ate was an exception - 1 in 14,000 or less. hard to believe. you have to start wondering if there's a more likely explanation..

Tthe Spanish Cycling federation feels that even for a 1:1.000.000 chance, they can't possibly ignore that possibility. I don't know what was in their tapas meal before that decision.

Some of that fine tasting herb called "moola" and lots of it !!!

[Chuck]

they reportedly did 14,000 tests of spanish beef last year and found nada. contador would have us believe that the piece of beef he ate was an exception - 1 in 14,000 or less. hard to believe. you have to start wondering if there's a more likely explanation..

Tthe Spanish Cycling federation feels that even for a 1:1.000.000 chance, they can't possibly ignore that possibility. I don't know what was in their tapas meal before that decision.

Twas prepared by the PM no less, you can't refuse

[shiv]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tondo-t ... estigation

Wonder if the poor guy will be allowed back into the country after doing this? Seems to be totally against the spanish way! Maybe he wasnt born in Spain though?

[MichaelB]

Oh, and poor Bertie couldn't win his 1st race back, must be the lack of enhancements ....

Oh well, at least when the suspension is upheld by the CAS, the results for the VoA won't be altered

[brentono]

they reportedly did 14,000 tests of spanish beef last year and found nada. contador would have us believe that the piece of beef he ate was an exception - 1 in 14,000 or less. hard to believe. you have to start wondering if there's a more likely explanation..

Just a small point (straight from the EU regulations) to get a positive for Clenbuterol, the levels...
(also, nada can be seen, if you don't want it to be)
1. for muscle, would have to be 2000x the level registered in Contador.
2. for liver and kidneys, would have to be 10,000x the level registered in Contador.
Asoprovac declaration, seems to be "self-motivated" and cry for the 150,000 families they directly or indirectly represent.
EU reports, state that there has been some funny goings on, in the industry, regarding Clenbuterol
(a classic in 2004, during an EU inspection, where 5 positive animals, just disappeared...
and it took 15 months to get new samples, from this operation )
It seems, with this recent publicity, a raw nerve, has been touched.
... you have to start wondering, about the whole operation?

[jules21]

Just a small point (straight from the EU regulations) to get a positive for Clenbuterol, the levels...
(also, nada can be seen, if you don't want it to be)
1. for muscle, would have to be 2000x the level registered in Contador.
2. for liver and kidneys, would have to be 10,000x the level registered in Contador.

you seem to be suggesting that the threshold for testing clen in beef is too high and that much would be undetected. however, i think the idea is that most beef producers wouldn't go to the same lengths as Bertie to conceal their clen use and would get picked up at these thresholds - the level Bertie was detected at was extremely low (and that's unlikely to have been a coincidence - he would have taken steps to ensure it was below the threshold of detection).

[sogood]

Contador just got sooooo... lucky. No one else got a positive, but just him, him alone in the peloton. And just so happens that his body weight can matter significantly in the battle for the yellow jersey and the multi-million $$$ prize money and commercial benefits. I believe Contador so much [not]!

[brentono]

you seem to be suggesting that the threshold for testing clen in beef is too high and that much would be undetected.

I am suggesting, that testing levels for WADA and Asoprovac are two entirely different situations.

Here's a nice rundown on WADA Labs.

Part of the problem is that clenbuterol detection has become so good. To be accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency, labs must be able to detect very small concentrations. Some, however, can spot concentrations far lower than WADA’s required minimum, traces tiny enough to possibly have come from food, not doping.

Contador’s urine was analysed in one such lab, in Cologne, Germany. In a 2009 scientific paper, Cologne scientists said that, with superfine detection, clenbuterol positives “could be due to the consumption of trace amounts present in feed or principally also in the water supply.”

“No doubt about it,” Detlef Thieme, who heads Germany’s other WADA-accredited lab, in Kreischa, says of the possibility of false positives from food. “That’s undisputed.”

It’s “a very pressing problem and the faster it’s solved, the better.”

One answer could be setting a threshold. Only clenbuterol concentrations above that limit would trigger sanctions. For now, WADA has a zero-tolerance policy on clenbuterol.

From your quoted Asoprovac piece, which most here, and most commentators passed over...

1. The association, which accounts for 85 percent of the country's meat production industry
There is another 15% produced outside Asoprovac- is it controlled?

2.the authorities carried out 14,179 controls, and there was not one positive case for Clenbuterol.
With the limits set as they are by the EU, and the Laboratories doing this testing only able to analyse to a
threshold level, 4000x higher than Contador's results, much could be missed, Yes.

3.Asoprovac stated "To comply with the current legislation, every animal destined for human consumption
has to be submitted to veterinary inspection ante and post mortem."
Does that mean that only 7000 or 14,000 odd animals, passed through their system, doesn't add up.

Some other facts, which make the Asoprovac piece, sound unconvincing.
Besides all of the consumed beef, coming from South America, and we don't know the state of it's control.

The change in emphasis in the Spanish beef production system is illustrated in the number of Irish calf exports making their way to Spain. In 2009, 24,500 Irish calves were exported to Spain. For the first seven weeks of 2010, live exports have increased by 35% on 2009 levels to 1,900 head. In 2008, 54% of total Spanish imports consisted of calves less than 80kg in weight.

This would make around 33,000 head being imported in 2010- Where are the control figures for these,
are they included in the 14,179 controls?

Spanish beef production has fallen by an estimated 22% since 2005 to 562,000 tonnes.

As already stated, Asoprovac... you have to start wondering, about the whole operation?