Contador is...

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Amazed I haven't seen a poll yet.

 

[Vonn Brinkman]

There is no doubt that he is positive.
But I, for once, believe that he did not take clenbuterol knowingly. He might take some other stuff, but not this.
I hope the case is dropped before it drags out like Valverde's case.
Sucks that is reputation is tarnished.

 

[nevada]

I think he has re-infused with contaminated blood. Nobody is going to believe this BS about chicken being bought over from Spain on the rest day.

 

[scribe]

I'd pick guilty and clinic resident. I am particularly interested in this plasticizer test.

 

[Barrus]

I'll need to agree with Von Brinkmann on this.
But i will put one extra thing in it, I do not beleive he took it knowingly during the tour, whether he took it at an earlier point, I'm not certain of that

 

[theswordsman]

I can't vote yet. I've believed he was clean in the past. I don't believe he used something so old school and detectable during the Tour when there's apparently so much other stuff you can micro dose and get away with, like the Lithuanian U23 guys a year ago.

I've read what the experts have said, including the revised opinion of Don Catlin (after he saw the actual numbers). No one thinks he consumed this during the Tour as a method of doping. The consensus is that it's the result of something tainted. The problem is that one of the things that could have been tainted was his own blood. I don't know. If he did have that boost, I don't know why he would have su.cked so bad in the Time Trial, unless he got really lazy with his pre-Tour training. But one bad day doesn't rule out anything.

Right now I've got an open mind. I'd like to see someone hit up Astana for the steak invoice. I'd like to see someone slip over to the butcher shop and get some meat samples, just for the heck of it, in case the practice applies to whole herds. But mostly I want some trustworthy scientists independent of the UCI administration to take a good look at all of Contador's samples for the year, really scrutinize them, and see if it looks like he added some blood on the rest day. This is a huge thing for the sport, and the world is watching. Bring in Dr. Morkeberg, Ashenden, Catlin, and experts I've never heard of. Put them in the best lab available, and let them hash it out.

 

[L'arriviste]

Voted innocent of this but a clinic rezzer. But in fact I'm not really sure. I was in Madrid when the news came out and nobody there had covered the transfusion angle, which me being me, of course I didn't think of it either.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

I choose "Guilty of this, and plenty of other stuff", but i like the outcome. Big fishes are caught every time now. I hope the Cover-up-like-Armstrong days are over.

 

[Cobblestones]

I voted guilty. At present, I believe the 'blood bag' theory of how Clen appeared in his system. Likely, he did Clen in the early season when he wasn't racing; he squirreled away at least one bag with Clen residues and put it back in around the TdF restday. That's what I think and that's why I hope he gets the full 2 year treatment.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

The problem is that one of the things that could have been tainted was his own blood. I don't know. If he did have that boost, I don't know why he would have su.cked so bad in the Time Trial, unless he got really lazy with his pre-Tour training. But one bad day doesn't rule out anything.

... if it looks like he added some blood on the rest day. This is a huge thing for the sport, and the world is watching. Bring in Dr. Morkeberg, Ashenden, Catlin, and experts I've never heard of. Put them in the best lab available, and let them hash it out.

It makes sense, since he was so "slow" in the Alpe-Stage (42.11 at the Dauphine). May that time around he took the blood out and refueled it on the Rest-Day.

The irony for the UCI is, if they wasn´t on war with AFLD the positive would never had ocurred. They really shoot themselves in the head (not for the 1st time).

 

[JayZee]

Diiiirty!!! Always has been. The ironic thing is that I would guess that 2010 was his "cleanest" year based on his performance at the Tour.

 

[The Hitch]

Contador is guilty of a lot of stuff. But from what i have read this clen stuff most likely was an accident, so hes innocent of this IMO (may change)

 

[Winterfold]

I chose innocent of this, but still in the clinic

Sure I think he does other things as do all the other big names, but I think the main thing he is guilty of is being the most complete and talented GT rider there is today.

His technique is superb and his climbing out of the saddle poetry in motion. I would hate to see him go down for this, if he has to go down then it needs to be for something more serious IMO

 

[warmfuzzies]

Karma or Kismet?

Perhaps the clen positive was 100% innocent, just like the attack on Andy during Andy's chain issue @ this year's Tour. With all the heat on the UCI, it will be nearly impossible for Alberto to escape with less than a 1-year ban, since a 2-year ban is the traditional punishment for this offense. Reversing its position on clen in this situation is equally difficult. Athletes need fair rules, but also need confidence in the clarity of the rules and subsequent punishment. The clen position may need revision, but that's a different discussion from the one involving the consequences under the rules for a positive test for clen. It would not be fair for Contador to go without a 1-2 year suspension, irrespective of whether the metrics for clen positives are changed going forward.

 

[roundabout]

I voted option 1 because

Contrador blames food contamination for the positive test and has totally rejected rumours of a possible blood transfusion during the Tour.

"If they want to test every sample I've given in the Tour, as many different laboratories as they want, or if they want to freeze it for three or five years until other future tests are scientifically validated and then check it, they can do it," he said. "I have nothing to hide."

I doubt that he would lie about anything like this *



* some parts of this post might not be completely serious

 

[eleven]

There is no doubt that he is positive.
But I, for once, believe that he did not take clenbuterol knowingly. He might take some other stuff, but not this.
I hope the case is dropped before it drags out like Valverde's case.

Sucks that is reputation is tarnished.

if you have no doubt that he dopes, why would you be concerned that his reputation is tarnished?

 

[King Of Molehill]

The tainted meat theory is as ridiculous as the too many beers theory of Floyd Landis, in my opinion. I'm just far too jaded by the past twenty years of pro cycling to believe it is anything other than doping but I'm okay with that. I made the choice to believe that most pro's cheat or have cheated at least once in some way. I'm always really surprised by people who hold on so tightly to the belief that any of these guys might be clean, they will only be left feeling let down or disappointed.

If you don't cheat and you feel cheated by the one's who do then you either live with your own conscience and morals or you don't and so far over the past twenty years at least I haven't been given any indication that any of the 'clean' riders really give enough of a **** about it to do something.

 

[flicker]

I voted option 1 because



I doubt that he would lie about anything like this *



* some parts of this post might not be completely serious

I voted dirty as sin. But he should not be suspended as Tom Weisel, Tailwind USPS and a certain Mr. Lance Armstrong put Alberto up to the auto blood transfussion.

 

[luckyboy]

if you have no doubt that he dopes, why would you be concerned that his reputation is tarnished?

Everyone else dopes, and he might have a chance to break some records. I'd rather they caught all the big guns than the biggest. Maybe it'll come..

Anyway, I voted guilty + other stuff (that doesn't make a lot of sense, but I presume it means blood doping/programme etc.. and not murder or something).

 

[uspostal]

Does anyone know the wherabouts of one LA during the 2nd dayoff. Maybe he was providing dinner for his best friend AC ??? But really he's guilty as sin and should get his 2yrs, maybe this is why he didn't race much after the TDF. He knew this was hanging over his head.

 

[scottfrasernz]

Contador = pro cyclist = doper

If you think anything else, maybe you should get into watching golf

Although there are some dopers there too

 

[CPAvelo]

Contador is....

.... falling according to Sylvan Chavanel. Chavanel's countryman Yoann Offredo (FDJ) offered his own candid assessment of the Contador case, saying that he was not surprised by the news.

“It’s a story that we’ve been expecting,” Offredo said to RMC.fr. “We’re not unduly surprised. A little [surprised] about the Clenbuterol because we’d really have expected something else. It’s like the tree that hides the forest.

“Right now, amongst the riders, I can tell you that we’re not that shocked.”

I voted guilty of this and plenty of other stuff even before I read the above. Curious what Chavanel means by falling. Does it mean there is no more safety net when the big ones get caught?

 

[uandi82much]

Interpreter

Obviously none of you were listening very closely during the Tour de France interviews with Alberto Contador.
When asked about his chances of beating Schleck in the mountains, Alberto replied through an interpreter who didn't quite get it right. What he actually said was "Yes for sure the steaks will be very high......I am steaking my reputation on winning.......the team has steaked out the course for me.....but I will win for sure with no missed-steak......but if Schleck has a missed-steak I will attack ...."
So there you have it he actually admitted the whole thing on worldwide TV.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

As far as I'm concerned, you could replace the word "Contador" with the word "cycling" and pretty much get the same poll, and results.

No one really doubts there are plenty of golfers are on steroids, do they?

 

[Iker_Baqueiro]

I find it funny that all the English media and forums declare Contador guilty with so much passion, and that the Spanish media and forums see Contador as innocent. See http://www.marca.com/2010/09/30/ciclismo/1285882345.html