This Day in Doping: Spanish Beef Industry Indignant at Contador’s Claims

Suspended Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador’s contention that he ate beef contaminated with clenbuterol that later showed up in his drug test has generated some pushback from Spain’s beef industry. More from VeloNews.

Meanwhile, banned Italian cyclist Pietrio Caucchioli has decided to challenge the validity of the “biological passport” test used in his case. This comes just days after fellow countryman Franco Pellizotti was cleared of doping charges on the basis of insufficient evidence from biological passport data. Pellizotti’s lawyers argued the biological passport is not a reliable mechanism. If Caucchioli succeeds it could further cloud use of the bio passport for dope detection — in and of itself, at least. It still may find utility for casting suspicion on a rider’s performance — which then followup blood testing could confirm.