There has been a further indication that experts may be looking beyond the contaminated meat theory in seeking to determine what caused Alberto Contador’s positive test for Clenbuterol in this year’s Tour de France. The rider has maintained he ate beef with trace amounts of the growth promoter, but a prominent newspaper has repeated claims that there are indications that he may have received a blood transfusion during the race.
The New York Times cites an un-named source as stating that a urine sample taken by the UCI on July 20th revealed levels of plasticizers eight times higher than the minimum amount thought to point towards doping.
If that is verified, it could indicate that the Spaniard received a transfusion of previously-extracted blood from a period in time, when, presumably, he would have also been taking Clenbuterol.
Plasticizers are found in plastic blood and IV bags and are regarded as an indirect way of determining if sportspeople have resorted to banned transfusions. While the method has not yet been fully validated, WADA Director General David Howman said last week that the test can be used as partial evidence of doping.
Howman told AP that a general test for plasticizers was, "fully validated and has been used in the food industry for years. Its use for anti-doping purposes is partially validated and evidence from it, among others, can be used before tribunals.”
The New York Times story adds weight to previous suggestions that the investigation into Contador’s positive test may be about more than just Clenbuterol. Last week, the German journalist Hans Joachim Seppelt claimed in an ARD television programme that Contador’s samples from the period in question contain high levels of plasticizers.
L’Equipe echoed that suggestion, claiming that the laboratory in Barcelona which specializes in their detection had found these signs.
Contador's spokesman, Jacinto Vidarte, said there was nothing to this. He told AP that the Spanish rider "categorically denies having a blood transfusion. There is nothing to that. It is a science fiction story.”
There are suggestions that Contador may have been on the radar for some time. According to the Dutch journalist Mart Smeets, his biological passport has shown some irregularities and some experts felt that there were grounds to suspect him of possible blood doping. The signs were reported as being subtle and it is thought that no firm consensus was reached between a panel of experts assigned to study the figures.
If it is true that his passport has been subject to extra scrutiny, this would raise concerns that the UCI may have acted too quickly in backing Contador’s explanation that tainted meat was the source for his positive test. The governing body advised the rider to keep quiet about the test, and reportedly wanted to give him a minimum suspension of just three months.
What would a high plasticizer level mean?
If the New York Times is correct and if the elevated plasticizer levels are officially confirmed, Contador will find the fight to clear his name a more difficult one. WADA rules strictly ban blood transfusions in sport, while the use of other IV infusions such as those containing glucose solutions was prohibited several years ago. The latter is permissible only in medical emergencies.
While the plasticizer test is yet to be fully validated, the New York Times quotes the chief of the WADA-accredited lab in Rome as saying that it could still form part of a sanctioning hearing.
“Even without a validated test, it could be looked at in a case-by-case basis,” said Francesco Botré. “If someone has a very, very high level of plasticizers in the urine, it would be hard for that athlete to explain how that happened if not for doping. If the level is lower, it obviously would make it much harder, but it would still be possible to prove.”
One element which may be crucial is that anti-doping officials will have a succession of urine and blood samples at their disposal to run similar tests. Rather than trying to compare plasticizer levels with the general population and working out what level would constitute a suspicious reading, they can compare like with like.
In other words, Contador’s own plasticizer levels over several days could in theory be plotted, with investigators looking for a sudden jump from his own customary baseline amount. This would rule out the trace amounts that could be absorbed from other sources.
If a spike is determined, this could be combined with those reportedly-irregular biological passport values to try to build a case.
Contador’s press agent, Jacinto Vidarte has said there is nothing to accusations of blood doping. He insisted to the New York Times that the triple Tour winner “has done nothing illegal.”
When asked about reports of plasticizer levels, he said he knew nothing about that element of the investigation. “There has been no official confirmation at all,” he answered. The rider’s brother and agent Fran Contador has said they are considering legal action.
Fellow professional Oscar Pereiro has come to his defence, saying that he is giving his compatriot the benefit of the doubt.
“If there is someone I need to trust in, it is him, as I know him and I have worked with him,” he told the EFE news agency.
“As long as it is not proven otherwise, as a companion in both his team and profession, I have to believe because I want to do so, and for the sake of our sport in Spain.”
Contador has offered to provide his full blood and urine samples for testing, saying he is open to their analysis now and also in the future, when the tests are more evolved.