Italy's Vicenzo Nibali of the Liquigas team won the fifth stage of the Tour of Oman following a gruelling climb to the summit of the Green Mountain.

JABAL AL AKHDHAR, Oman – Italy's Vicenzo Nibali of the Liquigas team won the fifth stage of the Tour of Oman following a gruelling climb to the summit of the Green Mountain on Saturday.

The 27-year-old attacked four kilometres from the line following a tough 6km climb, finishing 10 seconds ahead of Slovak Peter Velits who took the leader's red jersey from Germany's Andre Greipel.

France's Sandy Casar finished third at 25sec after the 158km stage.

Velits has a slim one-second lead on Nibali in the overall standings with France's Tony Gallopin 17sec off the pace going into Sunday's sixth and final stage over 130km from Al Khawd to Matrah Corniche.

“It's liberating after a long wait,” said 2010 Tour of Spain winner Nibali who has not achieved a win since the Trophee Melina

in August 2010.

“I had to push myself to the limit. I attacked very strong on a steep climb. I gave everything I had in my belly. I never looked over my shoulder.”

“This gives me a lot of confidence,” added the 27-year-old who finished third in last year's Tour of Italy. – Sapa-AFP

Andy Schleck says he is confident of winning this year's race under his own steam.

Muscat – Andy Schleck, handed victory in the 2010 Tour de France following Alberto Contador's recent disqualification, said on Friday he was confident of winning this year's race under his own steam.

Radio Shack rider Schleck, who is currently taking part in the Tour of Oman, told AFP: “The 2012 Tour will not be won by one man racing alone – the future winner will have to have the strongest team around him.

“And Radio Schack is the best in the peloton!” he said of his team, which includes brother Frank, Jakob Fuglsang, Tony Gallopin and Fabian Cancellara.

“It's strong and that give me confidence. And then, compared to 2011, there are a lot more stages this time around that will allow me to anticipate, to try to attack.”

Schleck added: “I'm a rider that can hold a 40-50km breakaway. When I won Liege-Bastogne-Liege (in 2009), I broke 30km from the finish.

“In this sense, the Tour is perfect for me this year. It will be like racing a classic every day. You mustn't under-estimate the opening stages, with finishes where you can easily lose a minute.”

Schleck, who has also finished runner-up twice in the Tour de France, promised not to get sidetracked by the classics in the lead-up to this year's edition on June 30-July 22.

“My goal this year is the Tour,” he said. “Liege will allow me to test myself. Let's say it'll be an important part of my preparation.” – Sapa-AFP

Andre Greipel of the Lotto team won the fourth stage of the Tour of Oman on Friday to consolidate his overall lead of the race.

Wadi Al Kabir, Oman– Germany's Andre Greipel of the Lotto team won the fourth stage of the Tour of Oman on Friday to consolidate his overall lead of the race.

Greipel, who also won the race's first stage on Tuesday, beat home Slovakian Peter Sagan and Frenchman Tony Gallopin in a sprint at the end of the 142.5km ride from Bidbid Naf'a to Al Wadi al Kabir.

Saturday's fifth stage is a 158km run from the Muscat Opera House to Jabal Al Akhdar, featuring a climb up to the top of the 'Green Mountain'. – Sapa-AFP

The German cycling federation (BDR) has banned former Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich from competing in any amateur or public races in the country.

Berlin - The German cycling federation (BDR) has banned former Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich from competing in any amateur or public races in the country after the retired athlete was found guilty of blood doping last week.

Ullrich, the 1997 Tour winner who was also a five-times runner-up in the world's biggest race, was suspended for two years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport for blood doping with the help of a Spanish doctor at the heart of a scandal that stretching back to 2006. “According to the anti-doping rules of the BDR the ban includes non-licence holders and so it also concerns public races,” said BDR Vice President Udo Sprenger.

“So Ullrich is banned from starting in any German public race that has been authorised by the BDR,” he told reporters.

Ullrich, who had been due to enter a race in Bielefeld in August 2012, had repeatedly denied any contact with Eufemiano Fuentes, the doctor who had been investigated as part of Spain's Operation Puerto before admitting to it a day after his ban last week.

The scandal broke in 2006 when Spanish police raids uncovered more than 200 code-named blood bags, some of which were linked to cyclists.

Ullrich retired in 2007 after also winning an Olympic gold and silver medal at the Sydney 2000 Games. He became the first German to win the Tour de France in 1997. – Reuters

Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador was back on his bike on Friday and training for competition, days after receiving a two-year doping ban.

Madrid – Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador was back on his bike on Friday and training for competition, days after receiving a two-year doping ban from sport's highest court.

Contador tweeted a photo of himself on his bike along with the message: “Going back to work, sacrifice and hard training, this is our sole secret.”

On Monday, Contador received a retroactive ban and was stripped of his 2010 Tour de France title because of a positive test for clenbuterol taken from that same Tour.

Contador can return to competition Aug. 6 but will miss this year's Tour, Giro d'Italia and Summer Olympics. He is eligible to race at the Spanish Vuelta.

Contador, who blamed the positive test on contaminated meat, hasn't ruled out appealing his ban. – Sapa-AP

Tom Boonen of Belgium won his fourth Tour of Qatar title on Friday, having led the race since he won the opening stage last Sunday.

Doha, Qatar – Tom Boonen of Belgium won his fourth Tour of Qatar title on Friday, having led the race since he won the opening stage last Sunday.

Boonen and his Omega-Pharms Quick Step were careful to protect his lead on the sixth and last stage, 120 kilometres (75 miles) from Sealine Beach Resort into Doha Corniche.

He ended up beating American rider Tyler Farrar of Garmin-Barracuda by 28 seconds overall to add to his tour victories in 2006, 2008 and 2009.

Boonen says, “Whether it is the first stage or last, I feel at ease in Qatar.”

The stage was won by Arnaud Demare, the under-23 road world champion, for his first pro win. – Sapa-AP

Retired Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich has admitted to knowing a Spanish doctor at the heart of a blood doping scandal.

Berlin – Retired Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich admitted to knowing a Spanish doctor at the heart of a blood doping scandal on Friday, a day after the German cyclist was banned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport for two years.

Ullrich had repeatedly denied any contact with Eufemiano Fuentes, the doctor who had been investigated as part of Spain's Operation Puerto.

The scandal broke in 2006 when Spanish police raids uncovered more than 200 code named blood bags, some of which were linked to cyclists.

CAS said on Thursday Ullrich had contact with the doctor, paid him 80,000 euros ($106,000) for unspecified services and the German's genetic material matched blood bags in the doctor's possession.

“I confirm that I had contact to Fuentes,” Ullrich said in a statement posted on his website (www.janullrich.de).

“I know that was a grave mistake which I regret. I want to apologise for this behaviour. In hindsight I would have acted differently in some situations during my career.”

The now 38-year-old Ullrich said the pressure on him ahead of the 2006 Tour had been great and that he had been desperate to be at his strongest.

“After my win in 1997 and five second place finishes the pressure from the public, sponsors and myself was immense. Everyone wanted a second Tour win especially after the retirement of Lance Armstrong,” Ullrich said.

Ullrich, who retired in 2007 after also winning an Olympic gold and silver medal at the Sydney 2000 Games, became the first German to win the Tour de France in 1997.

With his name linked to Operation Puerto, Ullrich was barred from starting the Tour de France in 2006 and was then fired by his T-Mobile team although he had repeatedly denied links to Fuentes.

“Shortly before the 2006 Tour came the bing bang. Suspension, headlines, ostracism, home raids, criminal investigation, charges. The whole world wanted to put me against the wall,” Ullrich said.

“Even back then, shortly after my suspension I wanted to openly admit my mistake. On the advice of my lawyers I stayed silent.”

CAS ruled that, based on the evidence, Ullrich, who had waited more than five years for a final ruling, had engaged “at least” in blood doping.

The court also annulled all Ullrich's results from 2005 until his retirement.

“I accept the verdict and will not appeal. The verdict cannot change my plans for the future. I have never contemplated a return to the sport of professional cycling in any capacity.” – Reuters

Lance Armstrong is relieved after federal prosecutors closed an investigation into allegations he doped during his career.

Austin, Texas – As far as Lance Armstrong is concerned, it's all over.

The stress, the waiting, the whispers about whether he doped during his stellar cycling career, all of it ended when – after nearly two years – federal prosecutors closed an investigation of him last week without bringing any charges.

“I'm happy. I'm glad it's behind me,” Armstrong told The Associated Press on Thursday in his first interview since prosecutors announced they were dropping the case.

The seven-time Tour de France winner said he remained confident he would not be indicted, but admitted the weight of the long investigation took a toll on him personally.

“It's not a pleasant experience ... It was difficult at times,” he said. “But I was confident that we would always end up in this place.”

After speaking with the AP, Armstrong participated in a teleconference with media covering this weekend's triathlon in Panama City, Panama, where he is scheduled to compete.

For the now 40-year-old Armstrong, the federal government's decision should put a stop to any allegations or rumours about performance-enhancing drug use during his career.

“It's over,” he said. “I'm moving on.”

Armstrong maintains he has never failed a drug test, but he nonetheless became the focus of investigators' attention after former teammates Floyd Landis accused him in 2010 of participating in a doping program.

Landis was stripped of his 2006 Tour title after failing a drug test. Armstrong won every Tour from 1999-2005.

A federal grand jury in Los Angeles looked at whether a doping program was established for Armstrong's team while, at least part of the time, it received government sponsorship from the U.S. Postal Service.

U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte Jr. announced last Friday his office had closed the case but did not give a reason.

The World Anti-Doping Agency followed up this week by urging the U.S. government to quickly hand over evidence collected in the investigation. Meanwhile, the US Anti-Doping Agency's (Usada) investigation into doping in cycling is continuing. When Armstrong's case was closed last week, Usada CEO Travis Tygart said he looked forward to obtaining the information developed during the federal probe.

“I don't want to get bogged down with that. I'm not concerned with that. I'm not going to worry about that,” Armstrong said.

Armstrong, who has been known to attack his critics in the media and on Twitter, had only issued a muted written statement in response to the end of the investigation when the decision was first announced.

He was reluctant to talk much more about it on Thursday, but said he had a quiet celebration with his family when the investigation was closed.

“I hugged my kids, hugged my girlfriend and went and opened a cold beer,” Armstrong said.

Although Armstrong was convinced that he would not be indicted, the cyclist said he was ready to fight a costly legal battle if he was.

“You had to consider all possibilities,” he said.

Armstrong said he'll turn his attention in 2012 to competing in Ironman triathlons and supporting the California Cancer Research Act, a proposal to increase taxes on cigarettes by $1 a pack to raise more than $500 million a year.

He also is the founder of the cancer charity Livestrong. – Sapa-AP

Lance Armstrong says he's relieved by the end of a nearly two-year federal investigation into doping allegations against him.

AUSTIN, Texas – Lance Armstrong says he's relieved by the end of a nearly two-year federal investigation into doping allegations against him, and that he always remained confident he would not be charged.

“It's not a pleasant experience,” Armstrong told The Associated Press by phone on Thursday in his first interview since prosecutors in Los Angeles closed their investigation last Friday.

After speaking with the AP, Armstrong participated in a teleconference with media covering this weekend's triathlon in Panama City, Panama, where he is scheduled to compete this weekend.

“It was difficult at times,” the seven-time Tour de France winner said. “But I was confident that we would always end up in this place.”

And, for him, this is end of the doping questions. The federal government's decision should put a stop to any allegations or rumors about performance-enhancing drug use during his career, Armstrong said.

“It's over,” he said. “I'm moving on.”

The World Anti-Doping Agency this week urged U.S. federal authorities to quickly hand over evidence collected in the investigation that was aimed at whether the world's most famous cyclist and his teammates joining in a doping program during his run of Tour victories from 1999-2005.

“I don't want to get bogged down with that. I'm not concerned with that. I'm not going to worry about that,” he said.

Armstrong, who has been known to attack his critics in the media and on Twitter, had only issued a muted written statement in response to the end of the investigation when the decision was first announced.

He was reluctant to talk much further about it on Thursday, but said he had a quiet celebration with his family when the investigation was closed.

“I hugged my kids, hugged my girlfriend and went and opened a cold beer,” Armstrong said.

Although Armstrong was convinced that he would not be indicted, the cyclist said he was ready to fight a costly legal battle if he was.

“You had to consider all possibilities,” Armstrong said.

The 40-year-old Armstrong said he'd turn his attention in 2012 to competing in Ironman triathlons and supporting an anti-smoking campaign in California. He is also the founder of the cancer charity Livestrong. – Sapa-AP

Germany's 1997 Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich has received a two-year ban for a blood doping offence.

Lausanne – Germany's 1997 Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich on Thursday received a two-year ban for a blood doping offence, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced.

CAS also ruled that all of Ullrich's results since May 1, 2005, be annulled.

The German, who retired in November 2007, thus sees his third-placed finish in the 2005 Tour de France written off.

“The CAS has partially upheld the appeal filed by the UCI (International Cycling Union) and has found Jan Ullrich guilty of a doping offence,” CAS said.

“As a consequence, Jan Ullrich is sanctioned with a two-year period of ineligibility starting retroactively on August 22, 2011. Furthermore, all results achieved by the athlete on or after May 1, 2005, until his retirement are annulled.”

CAS added: “Given the volume, consistency and probative value of the evidence presented by the UCI, and the failure of Ullrich to raise any doubt about the veracity or reliability of such evidence, this panel is satisfied beyond its comfortable satisfaction that Ullrich engaged at least in blood doping in violation of Article 15.2 of the UCI Rules.”

The CAS hearing came about after the UCI appealed to the court against the Swiss Olympic Committee's decision to halt an investigation into Ullrich's past.

The Swiss Olympic committee, with whom Ullrich had a licence, had decided not to pursue the investigation about Ullrich, who lived in Switzerland, because the German resigned from the Swiss cycling federation in 2006.

Ullrich, the former T-Mobile lead rider, was linked to the Operation Puerto scandal in 2006 after samples of his blood were found during a police raid on Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes who was at the centre of a doping ring.

Ullrich has always insisted he is innocent and has never doped. – Sapa-AFP

Fans of Spanish rider Alberto Contador will hold a symbolic bike ride in his home town to support him after his two-year doping ban.

Madrid - Fans of Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador will don masks of their hero on Sunday and hold a symbolic bike ride in his home town to support him over his two-year doping ban, organisers said on Wednesday.

The town hall in Pinto, south of Madrid, said it was collaborating with Surbike, a cyclists' association, in the demonstration under the slogan “We are all Alberto”.

“The event is open to participants of all ages and will take place on Sunday, February 12,” it said in a statement.

Surbike published on its website a downloadable mask of Contador's face, with holes to cut out for the eyes and mouth.

The march is scheduled to start at 12pm local time (11h00 GMT) on Sunday in a park and wind up at the Plaza de la Constitucion, where Contador celebrated his three victories in the Tour de France.

The Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday handed him a two-year ban after he tested positive for the banned substance clenbuterol. He says it was due to a contaminated steak eaten during the 2010 Tour de France.

Contador said on Tuesday that his lawyers were looking into a possible appeal, which must be lodged within 30 days.

“We will continue to fight until the end,” he told a packed news conference in Pinto.

The ban is backdated to August 2010, meaning Contador can return to competition on August 6, 2012.

As well as ruling him out of this year's Tour de France and the Olympic Games in London, he will be stripped of several wins, including his 2010 yellow jersey. - Sapa-AFP

Tom Boonen edged closer to winning his fourth Tour of Qatar title when he won the fourth stage.

Doha, Qatar – Tom Boonen edged closer to winning his fourth Tour of Qatar title when he grabbed the fourth stage ahead of Tom Veelers and Fabian Cancellara on Wednesday.

Riding under clear skies unlike the previous day, Boonen timed his sprint to perfection, winning the 144.5-kilometer (90-mile) stage from Al Thakhira at Madinat Al Shamal in the northern tip of Qatar.

It was Boonen's second stage win this week and his 20th overall in Qatar.

He improved his overall lead against American Tyler Farrar of Garmin-Barrucuda to 31 seconds with two stages to go.

Farrar suffered a puncture that hurt his team, which won the team time trial on Monday. Farrar finished ninth on Wednesday.

Spanish rider Juan Antonio Flecha of Sky Team was third overall, 34 seconds off the pace.

Boonen emerged the fittest of the riders on a day when stage three winner Mark Cavendish of Britain was left behind with nearly 30 kilometers remaining in the stage.

Boonen, with help from his Omega-Pharma Quick Step team, increased his break to 21 seconds as fellow riders struggled due to strong crosswinds in the open areas near the finish line in Madinat Al Shamal.

With 5 kilometers to go, Boonen was racing Dutchman Vellers and Swiss star Cancellara. But the tall Belgian - winner in Doha in 2006, 2008 and 2009 - put in a perfect lunge for the finish line.

On Thursday, the riders start from the Camel Race Track and end the 160-kilometer stage five at Al Khor Corniche. – Sapa-AP

Former Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich described a doping ban for Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador as “unexpected and tough”.

Berlin - Former Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich described a doping ban for Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador as “unexpected and tough” on Wednesday on the eve of his own Court of Arbitration (CAS) decision.

“This is a tough verdict and I did not expect that,” Ullrich told reporters. “I wish Alberto a lot of strength so that he can return in August in full force. A cyclist like him is superb for the sport.”

Contador was banned for two years on Monday by CAS for failing a drugs test during his victorious 2010 Tour de France campaign.

The Spaniard, also stripped of the Tour title in Monday's CAS ruling, is considering appealing and insisted he is innocent of deliberate doping.

He said he planned to return to competition when the retroactive ban ends in August.

Ullrich is awaiting a CAS decision on Thursday over the German's alleged involvement in a blood-doping scandal.

The Operation Puerto scandal broke in 2006, when Spanish police launched raids that uncovered more than 200 code-named blood bags, some of which were linked to cyclists.

Ullrich, who retired in 2007, became the first German to win the Tour de France in 1997. He has denied being involved in the scandal.

“Tomorrow (Thursday) is a happy day for me. I am happy to have the decision after waiting for almost six years,” Ullrich said.

“I had to suffer a lot and even suffered burn-out. I am happy to have the verdict. Then I can again comment on it and then it is over and done with.” – Reuters

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, who successfully fought a doping case while a player in Italy, has urged Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador to fight his two-year doping ban.

Madrid – Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, who successfully fought a doping case while a player in Italy, has urged Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador to fight his two-year doping ban “until the end of the world”.

“In these situations, and I speak a bit from personal experience, there is only one person who knows what happened, that is him,” Guardiola said in comments replayed in Spanish media Wednesday.

“And if he knows that he really is innocent as he says publicly and privately, he should defend himself until the end of the world and for as long as it takes. The truth always comes out in the end.”

Guardiola was speaking at a press conference on the eve of Barcelona's King's Cup semi-final second leg against Valencia on Wednesday and his comments were published in sports dailies including Mundo Deportivo.

The Catalan coach was banned for four months after he tested positive for nandrolone in 2001 while playing for Italy's Brescia but he was cleared by a criminal court on appeal in October 2007.

The Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport banned Contador on Monday for two years following a positive test for the banned substance clenbuterol.

Contador on Tuesday said his lawyers were looking into a possible appeal, which must be lodged within 30 days. He argues he is the victim of a contaminated steak eaten during the 2010 Tour de France

“My lawyers are looking into all the possibilities. We will continue to fight until the end,” he told a packed news conference in his hometown of Pinto just south of Madrid.

Backdated to August 2010, when he announced the news of his positive test weeks after his third yellow jersey triumph, the ban means Contador can return to competition on August 6, 2012.

As well as ruling him out of this year's Tour de France and the Olympic Games in London, he will be stripped of several wins including his 2010 yellow jersey which will now be handed to runner-up Andy Schleck of Luxembourg. – Sapa-AFP

Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador says his two-year ban will not derail his career plans for the future.

Pinto - A visibly indignant two-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador said on Tuesday he “totally disagreed” with his two-year doping ban, but vowed to pursue his career.

Speaking for the first time since the Court of Arbitration for Sport's sanction handed down on Monday, the 29-year-old Spaniard said he had lived through torment.

“I cannot understand the sanction that has been imposed on me,” the cyclist told a news conference at a hotel in his hometown of Pinto just south of Madrid.

“As for the decision, I totally disagree,” he said, wearing a dark jacket and a white shirt unbuttoned at the collar.

“I am going to continue cycling. I am going to continue practising it cleanly, the way I have my entire life. My mood right now is not the best but I know this will make me stronger in the future.”

Contador said he had committed no crime and yet had been hit with the heaviest penalty of a two-year ban.

“Anyone who reads the decision will see clearly that I did not take drugs,” he said.

He said his lawyers were looking into a possible appeal.

“There have been speculations, leaks, it is been a real torment. But the hardest thing has been to see my family, the suffering they have had, my wife, for what they have accused me of,” Contador said.

“And it is for something that goes against everything that has been instilled in me.”

The Spaniard said he even gave evidence under polygraph - popularly known as a lie detector. “That is five hours sitting in a chair answering questions like a real criminal.”

Contador thanked his fans and his sponsor for their support, after Saxo Bank chief Bjarne Riis told the news conference he backed the cyclist “100 percent” because he clearly did not deliberately take drugs.

He was repeatedly applauded by the crowd.

Considered the most gifted racer of his generation, Contador was handed a two-year ban by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) following a positive test for the banned substance clenbuterol.

Backdated to August 2010, when he announced the news of his positive test weeks after his third yellow jersey triumph, the ban means Contador can return to competition on August 6, 2012.

As well as ruling him out of this year's Tour de France and the Olympic Games in London, he will be stripped, among other wins, of his 2010 yellow jersey which will now be handed to runner-up Andy Schleck of Luxembourg.

His determination to carry on means he may compete at the Tour of Spain in September, a race Contador won in 2008 when he also won the Giro d'Italia.

Two months after his positive test, the Spaniard, claiming he was the victim of a contaminated steak eaten during the Tour de France, and had said he would consider quitting if banned.

If he is to find any kind of succour from the CAS decision, it is the fact doping experts believe he did not ingest clenbuterol intentionally. They deemed the Spaniard was likely a victim of a contaminated food supplement.

The loss of Contador could also have huge ramifications for his team.

Run by Riis, a former Tour de France winner who owned up to cheating with drugs to win the race in 1996, Contador is the team's marquee rider in stage races.

But more importantly, his World Tour ranking points are crucial.

Affiliation to the World Tour series - via a system governed by ranking points, financial viability and sound ethical principles - guarantees entry to cycling's biggest races.

On his own, Contador has racked up a massive amount of the points required by the team for entry to the series - a fact that has not gone unnoticed by the International Cycling Union (UCI).

The sport's ruling body was also due to ask its licences commission on Tuesday to gauge whether Saxo Bank has the right to remain in the UCI World Tour. - Sapa-AFP

British rider Mark Cavendish of the Sky team won a sprint finish for the third stage of the Tour of Qatar.

Doha – British rider Mark Cavendish of the Sky team won a sprint finish for the third stage of the Tour of Qatar on Tuesday ahead of Belgian Tom Boonen.

Boonen, who rides for the Omega Pharma-Quick Step team, holds the overall race lead after the 146km stage between Dukhan and the Al Gharafa Stadium here.

Wednesday's fourth stage will cover 144km from Al Thakira to Madinat Al Shamal in the north of the country. – Sapa-AFP

Disgraced former 2010 Tour de France champion Alberto Contador was on Tuesday braced to piece together his future as a professional cyclist.

Paris – Disgraced former 2010 Tour de France champion Alberto Contador was on Tuesday braced to piece together his future as a professional cyclist a day after being handed a two-year doping ban.

Considered the most gifted racer of his generation, Contador was handed a two-year ban Monday by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) following a positive test for the banned substance clenbuterol.

Backdated to August 2010, when he announced the news of his positive test weeks after his third yellow jersey triumph, the ban means Contador can return to competition on August 6, 2012.

As well as ruling him out of this year's Tour de France, the 29-year-old from Pinto will also be stripped, among other wins, of his 2010 yellow jersey which will now be handed to runner-up Andy Schleck of Luxembourg.

Despite the possible lure of competing at the Tour of Spain in September, a race Contador won in 2008 when he also won the Giro d'Italia, it is not yet known what plans Contador has for his future.

Two months after his positive test, the Spaniard, claiming he was the victim of a contaminated steak eaten during the Tour de France, said he would consider quitting if banned.

“If this is not resolved favourably and in just fashion then I would have to consider whether I would ever get back on a bike,” Contador told Spanish broadcaster Telecinco in October 2010.

If he is to find any kind of succour from the CAS decision, it is the fact doping experts believe he did not ingest clenbuterol intentionally. They deemed the Spaniard was likely a victim of a contaminated food supplement.

Reports from Spain late Monday, citing his brother and manager Fran, suggested Contador would return to the sport Ä a possibility that can only boost the hopes of his Saxo Bank team.

Run by Bjarne Riis, a former Tour de France winner who owned up to cheating with drugs to win the race in 1996, Contador is the team's marquee rider in stage races.

But more importantly, his WorldTour ranking points are crucial.

Affiliation to the WorldTour series – via a system governed by ranking points, financial viability and sound ethical principles – guarantees entry to cycling's biggest races.

On his own, Contador has racked up a massive amount of the points required by the team for entry to the series – a fact that has not gone unnoticed by the International Cycling Union (UCI).

The UCI said Monday said: “If we do not take into account the points contributed by Contador, amounting to around 68 percent of his team's total points, Saxo Bank no longer appear to satisfy the sporting conditions to remain part of the WorldTour.”

While Contador outlines his future plans later Tuesday, the sport's ruling body will simultaneously be asking its licences commission to guage whether Saxo Bank has the right to remain in the UCI WorldTour. – Sapa-AFP

Luxembourg's Andy Schleck says Alberto Contador’s suspension marks a “sad day for cycling”.

Paris - Alberto Contador's Tour de France dreams were shattered on Monday when the Spaniard was stripped of one of his three titles and banned for two years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for failing a dope test during the 2010 race.

Contador, Tour winner in 2007, 2009 and 2010 and widely regarded as the greatest cyclist of his generation, tested positive for the banned anabolic agent clenbuterol.

The 29-year-old also faces losing his 2011 Giro d'Italia title as well as all his other victories last season and he will not be able to take part in either the 2012 Tour or the London Olympic Games.

“Mr Contador is disqualified from the Tour de France 2010 with all the resulting consequences including forfeiture of any medals, points and prize,” CAS said.

Contador, who has 30 days to appeal to the Swiss federal court, is to hold a news conference on Tuesday (18h30 GMT).

The Spaniard's Tour title will be handed to Luxembourg's Andy Schleck, with Russian Denis Menchov finishing second and Spaniard Samuel Sanchez third.

“There is no reason to be happy now,” Schleck said in a statement. “First of all I feel sad for Alberto. I always believed in his innocence. This is just a very sad day for cycling. The only positive news is that there is a verdict after 566 days of uncertainty. We can finally move on.

“I battled with Contador in that race and I lost. My goal is to win the Tour de France in a sporting way, being the best of all competitors, not in court. If I succeed this year, I will consider it as my first Tour victory.”

Italy's Michele Scarponi is set to take the Giro 2011 title.

“Alberto Contador is sanctioned with a two-year period of ineligibility starting retroactively on 25 January 2011, minus the period of provisional suspension served in 2010-2011 (five months and 19 days),” CAS said in a statement.

“The suspension should therefore come to an end on 5 August 2012.”

Contador had threatened to end his career if found guilty.

His Saxo Bank team could lose their International Cycling Union (UCI) points with the ruling body expected to put their World Tour (elite) licence under review. Last season, Contador scored more than two thirds of his team's points, helping them stay in the World Tour.

“In rejecting the defence argument, in particular that the presence of clenbuterol in Alberto Contador's urine sample came from the consumption of contaminated meat, today's ruling confirms the UCI's position,” the UCI, who had appealed to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) against the Spanish federation's decision to clear Contador, said in a statement.

“This is an appropriate decision from CAS which represents the effective nature of the World Anti-Doping Code,” WADA president John Fahey said in a statement.

Spanish cycling federation (RFEC) president Juan Carlos Castano said of the CAS decision: “We are obliged to comply with it but we don't agree with it.

“It's very bad news for Spanish sport,” he said on national radio. “For us this journey has ended.”

The RFEC cleared Contador of any wrongdoing in February last year after accepting his explanation that he had eaten contaminated meat. The body had originally handed him a provisional one-year ban.

CAS said it did not believe Contador's argument that he had eaten contaminated meat during a Tour de France rest day.

“Unlike certain other countries, notably outside Europe, Spain is not known to have a contamination problem with clenbuterol in meat,” it said, adding that the burden of proof was on Contador and that the ingestion of a contaminated food supplement was more likely than the contaminated meat argument.

UCI President Pat McQuaid said: “This is a sad day for our sport. Some may think of it as a victory, but that is not at all the case. There are no winners when it comes to the issue of doping: every case, irrespective of its characteristics, is always a case too many.”

Contador, who had awaited his fate at his home in Pinto with his family and lawyers, is now expected back to competition on August 6 and should be able to take part in the Vuelta starting on August 18.

Spain's Oscar Pereiro was the last rider to be awarded a Tour victory after the race winner lost his title for failing a dope test, in 2006 when American Floyd Landis was stripped of his title following a positive test for testosterone.

Contador is one of only five men with titles in all three grands Tours. His climbing abilities have made him almost invincible in the three-week stage races, although he finished only fifth in last year's Tour following troubled preparations and because of a sore knee. - Reuters

Spanish officials rallied behind national hero Alberto Contador after he was handed a two-year ban by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Madrid – Spanish officials rallied behind national hero Alberto Contador on Monday after he was handed a two-year ban by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for failing a dope test during the 2010 Tour de France and stripped of the title.

Alejandro Blanco, the president of the country's Olympic Committee (COE), said it had been “a bad day for cycling and for Spanish sport” but that he still believed Contador was innocent.

“I want to express my respect for Alberto and I am waiting (for him to begin competing again) so he can show he is a champion once more,” Blanco, who is leading Madrid's bid for the 2020 summer Olympic Games, was quoted as saying in local media.

“I continue to believe in his innocence, in Alberto,” he added.

Jose Luis De Santos, national team coach at the Spanish cycling federation (RFEC), said as well as a blow to Contador the CAS decision was a setback for the sport in Spain as the rider was the nation's “reference point in the grand tours”.

However, he said he did not believe anyone involved in cycling could “doubt Alberto's integrity”.

“People in the world of sport have seen that Alberto is innocent,” De Santos said.

“He has elevated the values of sport, of effort and of sacrifice to the maximum to reach the highest level.”

Luxembourg's Andy Schleck, who will be awarded the 2010 Tour title after finishing the race in second, and Italy's Michele Scarponi, who will get Contador's 2011 Giro d'Italia title, would not be happy to be handed victory in this manner, De Santos added.

The CAS ruling means Contador, who has threatened to end his career if found guilty, will miss this year's Tour and the London Olympic Games. He has 30 days to appeal to the Swiss federal court.

The 29-year-old has always maintained that traces of the banned anabolic agent clenbuterol found in his body came from contaminated meat.

CAS said they did not believe his explanation and decided on a retroactive ban - meaning he can begin competing again in August - and also nullified all the titles he won last year, including his Giro triumph.

The RFEC, whose decision to clear Contador was the subject of an appeal by the International Cycling Union (UCI) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), said it “respected” the CAS ruling.

However, the federation added that it “regretted” the punishment Contador had been given and that CAS had opted for “an extreme application” of WADA rules. – Reuters

Alberto Contador has been stripped of the 2010 Tour de France title, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Monday.

Paris - Alberto Contador has been stripped of the 2010 Tour de France title, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Monday after banning the Spanish cyclist for two years for failing a dope test.

“Mr. Contador is disqualified from the Tour de France 2010 with all the resulting consequences including forfeiture of any medals, points and prize,” CAS said in their reasons explaining their verdict.

Luxembourg's Andy Schleck, who finished second overall in 2010, is set to be handed the title, a decision that rests with the International Cycling Union (UCI). – Reuters