I'm surprised that there might be any "fans" left! ..... He's clearly taken a banned substance, that's not being denied. He's come up with such a pathetic explanation, which lacks so much obvious detail that it just sounds like he made a desperate guess at what he might say to counter the accusations when they first broke and now he's clinging to that story as if the more it's stated the more people will start to believe it.

Why on earth would anyone (who has no hidden agenda) need to have meat brought from Spain to France to eat? It's just bonkers and he knows it.

The irony is that he is likely to have alienated more Spaniards by accusing their farmers of using doping practices! ..... Rather a rich accusation, considering that pro-cycling is the one with the bigger doping problems!

Give up this charade Bertie and do a "Landis" asap by coming clean. And while you're about it, if you truely believe in supporting clean cycling, I suggest that you provide ALL of the information I am sure that you have regarding doping in the teams of which you have been a member during your career. ... You'll have a much clearer concience then, whilst you live out your old age!

why AC wouldn't have fans believing in him? yes, they found banned substance in his body. but in a amount that would help him only if the tour is ridden by mice. UCI knows that, but they shield themselves with some kind of professionalism that doesn't suit the sport. it is the same as if you were fining me for having 0.000001 promiles of alcohol in blood in a country where the limit is 0 promiles. you found alcohol,but whether it affects me or not it's different matter.

kujasmin - As you said they FOUND a banned substance in his blood - and there is only one question how did it get there? Eating meat is not credible as all experts have agreed!

The rate of removal will always mean that only microscopic values will be seen even if doping heavily.

Drugs work in microscopic values - that is why they are so powerful - look at the volumes in clinical drugs often - micrograms - 0.000001g and this will be for a body weighing 75kg or more. Look how the figures work out per gram of blood. After a day the residues will be just as small as the value found in Contadors sample - Unlike these extremely powerful drugs alcohol needs millilitres - there is no comparison.

The problem is that most people can not come to terms with the tiny values of amount of drugs needed to have an effect. We're not talking a line of coke but grains of dust. Look at the effect of LSD the threshold for immediate effect is 20 microgrammes (0.000020g) but after a day it will be negligible as it will have all been excreted or metabolised - That is just how it is!

Regarding mice - In 2008 there was a study of a new drug TGN1412 where the volume used on mice for testing was then used on humans - all six people ended up in intensive care! It's not the amount it's how powerful it is and how it is metabolised and excreted. Just like people can't imagine the distance between stars we can't come to terms with small values.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TGN1412

The only question is what will happen to Contador as it was his responsibility not to have ANY banned drugs in his blood and he failed. People don't just have small values of this drug in their bodies - it's not random = it's not chance! Unless you or I have doped we will have zero Clenbuterol in our blood - ZERO.

Tom

Contador has said so little if he farts it makes a headline.

Nothing new in this story,only Tom bombadils info on stars being far apart.

Which i did look up,and also the TGN1412 story which brightend up an otherwise snowy day.

Well said Tom

Just an update -

Average Distance between stars = 20,000000,000000 miles

Distance to Sun = 92935700 miles

Distance to Moon = = 238857 miles

Distance to Pub = 0.5 mile

Whoops - Study quoted was in 2006 not 2008 – a slip of keyboard.

Tom

I only started following pro cycling in the past couple of years but a friend of mine whose been following the tour for years always doubted whether Contador was clean. As a naive new fan of cycling i was under the impression the whole drugs thing was a thing of the past but obviously not. Its such a shame when heroes of the sport turn out to be frauds. I dont want to believe this because i dont want to accept that for the past 2 years what ive been watching from Contador wasnt real. But i know deep down that there has to be some truth in this. I feel robbed really. I suppose its time to support Andy Schleck next year or is he on drugs too? Its never ending.

@Tom

thanks for your explanation. I'm no expert, but my reasoning was based on the fact the UCI said the amount found in AC's body is 400 (later 40) times less than the amount they need to find. why the threshold then? I guess because the amount less than the threshold should be ignored or it's irrelevant since it doesn't benefit or adds to performance.

regarding the residues. it was also stated that he passed the tests the day before and the day after he was tested positive. so, really I don't get it.

@gray700

AC is real. this year the tour was decided in seconds. AC is not abnormally superior to others. wait for Basso and Sclecks next year and you will see. Armstorng won the tour 7 times. a guy with no special vO2max, aerobic and anaerobic threshold etc. yet he beat those who doped. in many other sports you have athletes who are superior and real.

the threshold point is totally irrelevant, Clenbuterol is not a narurally occuring substance, so ANY sign of this implicates him, & the fact that one day's test shows nothing & the following day he tests positive indicates a transfusion.

Lance Armstrong's VO2 max was reported at 84 ml/kg/min, which is extremely high, you cannot judge a sportsman's success by this alone, in my opinion the mark of a true champion is his mental strength as much as his lactose threshold, combine all these attributes & THAT's what makes a world class champion.

No point in looking towards the divine now AC!!!

kujasmin,

Lance Armstrong's natural VO2 and lactate threshoolds are off the charts. this is what allowed him to compete on a national level in triathalons as a 16 year old. what marked him out as different to his competitors (and i wont go into the evidence that he himself doped) was his commitment and mental toughness; properties that cannot be measured. and contador is abnormally superior to others as are schleck and basso. contador is similar to armstrong in his pyschotic levels of determination and toughness as proved when the two went head to head in 2009. neither blinked and the strain contador must have been under (disloyal team, scheming DS, media intrusion, general expectation of the whole world) would crush most people.

The judgement has not been made yet so all you ladies scapping over the minutiae will have to get your calculator laden handbags out then.

Whatever happens the sport we all love is yet again being dragged through the mire by dopping. There has to be a better way of coping with this. Whether he is found guilty or not justice should be seen to be done and to be done quickly and effectively and the cycling authorities never ever do this.

Cycling has got as much credibility as cat binning!! and it is those at the top who are squarely to blame.