The race director of the Giro d’Italia, Angelo Zomegnan, has said that he doesn’t have any objections to Alberto Contador taking part in the Italian race this May.
The Spaniard won the contest in 2008, taking part when his Astana team got a last-minute invite to the event. Since then he has won one Vuelta a España plus two Tours de France, but he also tested positive during the 2010 Tour and has been battling a sanction since.
He was provisionally suspended after it emerged that Clenbuterol was found in his system on the second day of the race, yet was able to return to racing this week when the disciplinary committee of his national federation cleared him.
An appeal by either the UCI or WADA is thought more likely than not. However Zomegnan doesn’t have any qualms about letting him compete in the Italian Grand Tour. “If his team manager Bjarne Riis arranges it, he will go,” he told the DPA agency. “I don’t need to invite him because his team is in any case qualified for the Grand Tours.”
SaxoBank-SunGard is one of 18 UCI ProTeams which are automatically entitled to taking part in cycling’s top races. However in recent years Grand Tour organisers have reserved the right to block any rider who is under investigation.
It appears this won’t be the case with Contador, who is currently building his form in the Vuelta ao Algarve in Portugal. He has already indicated that the Giro d’Italia is a possible target for him this season.