He’s provisionally suspended and his positive doping case is being investigated by the UCI and WADA, but Alberto Contador is receiving plenty of support back home. Elements of the Spanish media are portraying the case against him as being unjust, some sporting officials are doing likewise (thus echoing the Valverde case) and now his hometown has given him the ultimate honour.
The three-time Tour de France winner is set to become the first-ever hijo predilecto, or honorary citizen, of his hometown of Pinto. The municipal council there voted on the matter and agreed unanimously to give him the award. Mayor Juan José Martin read a statement attesting that “the victory of Alberto Contador is the triumph of honesty, sacrifice, effort and hard work every day.”
He expects the case to go in the Spaniard’s favour, referring to it as "the triumph of the firm and decisive struggle against adversity: a very tough test in a mountain stage of life, which also Alberto has been able to turn the pedals like nobody else.”
Situated 17 kilometres from Madrid and having 42,500 inhabitants, Pinto has thrown its weight behind the 27 year old Spaniard. On Saturday a large number of people turned out to support him by forming a human chain, and there have been several other examples of the town expressing its backing and belief.
Some of wider Spanish media have managed to remain objective while the case is being considered, but others have been frank that they don’t believe he could have done anything wrong. The loyalty is akin to that shown by other national press when their big name sportsmen are questioned; time will tell if that faith is indeed well founded. For now, though, they and the inhabitants of Pinto appear to be sure that the rider did nothing wrong.
So too the President of the Spanish Olympic Committee Alejandro Blanco, who told Europa Press that he would back Contador.
"Some have criticized me for defending Contador, but I'll keep doing it because I defend the person. When you win, everyone hugs you and when you have a problem, they take a step back and choose to be cautious," he stated.
The president of the Royal Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC), Juan Carlos Castaño told the same press that he is surprised by the delays. He pointed out that it is a month since the positive test for Clenbuterol was announced, and that federation had heard nothing since. He said that he had sent messages to the UCI on Friday and Monday to seek confirmation that the rider was suspended, but has heard nothing back.
Castaño also rejected UCI President Pat McQuaid’s assertion that Spain has a bigger doping problem than the rest of the world.