Tour de France Champ Contador Fails Second Doping Test
A test new to the antidoping movement was used for the first time at the Tour de France last summer, and now it appears that the three-time Tour winner Alberto Contador — who tested positive for a banned drug at the race — may have more explaining to do.
That new test detects a specific type of chemical, called a plasticizer, that is found in plastic IV bags. Evidence of that chemical in an athlete’s urine could mean the athlete has used a blood transfusion to boost endurance. The World Anti-Doping Agency bans blood transfusions or any intravenous infusions, except in a medical emergency.
A test performed on at least one of Contador’s urine samples from the Tour revealed levels of that chemical eight times higher than the minimum amount that signifies doping, according to a person with knowledge of the test results.
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At a news conference in Spain last week, Alberto Contador discussed his positive test for clenbuterol but denied doping.