Drug-Positive Tour de France Champ Blames Steak Dinner

The New York Times reports that three-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador is blaming a steak he ate on a rest day during the race for a drug test positive for clenbuterol. Experts have indicated that the small amount to which he could have been exposed would not have boosted his performance; the drug is apparently sometimes given to cattle illegally to speed up growth and increase muscle mass. The amount of clenbuterol found in Contador’s samples was apparently very small, and the contaminated meat theory has been given considerable credence. Meanwhile, the Spanish cyclist has been provisionally suspended until race authorities determine whether he was using the drug. See The New York Times, September 30, 2010.