UPDATE: Spanish federation head confirms rider to be told on Thursday
Alberto Contador trained with the Saxo Bank team this week (Image credit: AFP Photo)
Juan Carlos Castano, president of the Spanish Cycling Federation, confirmed that Alberto Contador will be informed on Thursday of the results of the doping investigation. "We aren't going to delay this any longer, " he told the Reuters news agency.
Both Contador and the International Cyclng Union will be informed of the federation's decision. Contador will have ten days to appeal the decision, if he is found guilty. It is not known whether there will be any public announcement on Thursday.
Earlier, Spanish sources had said that the Federation will pass a resolution Thursday to suspend Alberto Contador for one year, with other sources denying that any action would be taken this week. The draft resolution would not become final for another ten days.
The Spanish federation had asked the International Cycling Union for scientific consulting. Cyclingnews understands that the UCI has not yet submitted its dossier.
The UCI had set a tentative deadline of January 24 for responding, but noted that it might need more time. According to the Spanish website 20Minutos.es, the federation had not heard from the UCI as of Tuesday.
Under Spanish law, AS.com said, the RFEC must first publish a draft resolution, which would become final within ten days. The resolution is said to call for a one-year ban and the loss of the 2010 Tour de France title.
It was not clear whether the ban would be publicly announced on Thursday or only when it becomes final, somewhere between February 11 and 15.
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According to AS.com, this confirms stories from Tuesday that the decision could be made this week.
The RFEC's Competition committee “usually meets on Thursday, but they do not have a fixed date, and although the matters are confidential, no one is aware that there will be a decision on Contador this Thursday,” a federation source told 20Minutos.
AS.com further stated that the timing of the ban would cause Contador to miss this year's Tour, but be able to ride the Vuelta a Espana, which starts August 20.
The Spanish federation had asked the International Cycling Union for scientific consulting. Cyclingnews understands that the UCI has not yet submitted its dossier.
The federation's action is subject to appeal by either party to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and such an appeal is expected.
Contador is currently attending a training camp with his new team, Saxo Bank-SunGard, in Mallorca.
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