Spain’s Alberto Contador held on to the leader’s jersey in the Tour of Catalonia on Thursday, hours after cycling’s governing body revived a doping case against the three-time Tour de France champion.
Portugal’s Manuel Cardoso of the Radioshack team claimed Thursday’s fourth stage, a 195km race from La Seu d’Urgell to El Vendrell in northeastern Spain.
The 27-year-old edged Italy’s Giacomo Nizzolo of the Leopard Trek team and Spain’s Jose Rojas of Movistar in a mass sprint finish in which all but two of the 179 riders had the same time as the winner.
However, it was Contador who was the center of attention after the International Cycling Union (UCI) earlier announced it would appeal the Spanish federation’s decision to acquit him of doing allegations.
He had tested positive for a tiny amount of the banned muscle-building substance clenbuterol during last July’s Tour de France, which he went on to win.
However, he was cleared to compete when the Spanish cycling federation (RFEC) last month rescinded an initial decision to hand down a one-year ban, accepting the rider’s claim that he had unknowingly eaten drug-contaminated meat.
The 28-year-old rider appeared to accept the UCI’s decision.
“I am among those who believe that if things happen it’s because they have to happen and maybe it should go to the CAS who will make my innocence even clearer,” he told reporters in Spain.
“It’s not a situation that I like but I have full confidence in the arguments that my lawyers have presented,” he said.
UCI chief Pat McQuaid said the organization had been left with no choice but to appeal the decision by RFEC to clear Contador.
McQuaid said he believes the case has suffered from political interference in Spain.
He insisted the UCI was doing the right thing by appealing the RFEC decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), to ensure the fairest possible outcome.
“The only way to ensure that we get a credible and just and fair result is to take it to a higher authority, which for us is CAS, that has credibility, that has the capacity to deal with this case and which the sports family will accept,” McQuaid said.
“I’m aware he [Contador] is going to make a strong [defense] case ... but the way the proceedings went in Spain meant that we really had no option to do what we did,” he said.
“They [RFEC] also received a huge amount of pressure from political sources, including the prime minister, saying he shouldn’t be sanctioned,” McQuaid said.
“Obviously he’s an athlete of very high standing in Spain, but when you get the Spanish prime minister and the president of the Spanish Olympic Committee intervening and making statements when they don’t know the facts of the case, it’s just not right,” he said.
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