Eurosport analyst and former world number one Sean Kelly has expressed surprise at the Alberto Contador verdict, saying that the penalty handed down to him by the Court of Arbitration for Sport is far in excess of what he was expecting.
The Spaniard was given a two year ban last Monday, backdated in part, as a result of his positive test for Clenbuterol in the 2010 Tour de France. He also had his win in that race plus each of his results since then taken away from him, including the 2011 Giro d’Itala trophy.
“I was surprised that he was given a two year ban,” Kelly told VeloNation yesterday at the An Post Grant Thornton Sean Kelly team launch in Tielt, Belgium. “I have always said six months, maybe a year maximum, when you considered the evidence that we had available to us.
“But again, within the courts, is there some more evidence that we haven’t been hearing…is that the reason why he was given a two year ban? That is something that only time will tell, if something else comes out that we haven’t heard about.”
Kelly does however believe that Contador had considerable fortune in having his ban backdated. The Spaniard raced for much of last season and this year rode both the Tour de San Luis and the first stage of the Mallorca Challenge. He took two stages in the former and also finished second overall to Levi Leipheimer (Omega Pharma Quick Step); that all means that he should find it a lot easier to return to form as he won’t have endured a full two year period with no competition.
“Even though he loses his results, he has still been able to race all that time,” said Kelly, explaining the upside of how things worked out.
Click on the image below to watch the video interview.