Contador at the 2009 Tour de France. Courtesy of
Cyclist Alberto Contador has been stripped of his 2010 Tour de France title and suspended from racing for one year due to evidence that he used performance-enhancing drugs last year, according to . The Spanish Cycling Federation, the organization overseeing the investigation, reports finding trace amounts of the drug clenbuterol in one of Contador's urine samples taken at last summer's Tour.
Contador has ten days to present exculpatory evidence. The 28-year-old cyclist also won the Tour de France in 2007 and 2009. remains the only other Tour winner to be relieved of his title because of performance-enhancing drugs, which occurred in 2007.
The lists the drug clenbuterol as prohibted by athletes at any time, whether in or out of competition. Although the European Union banned the drug in 1996, some reports suggest that clenbuterol is still used illicitly by livestock producers.
The Spanish Cycling Federation's revocation of Contador's Tour title represents the latest move by cycling officals to clean up the sport. For more on the fight to rid cycling of illegal drugs, check out ϳԹ's coverage of FDA agent Jeff Novitzky's investigation of Lance Armstrong.
–Will Grant