Alberto Contador - ESPN Topics - ESPN Alberto Contador Doping Allegations Alberto Contador is a Spanish professional cyclist who has won the Tour de France three times. Contador won the Tour de France in 2007 (with the Discovery Channel team), 2009 and 2010 (with the Astana team). He also has won the 2008 Giro d'Italia and the 2008 Vuelta a Espana (both with Astana). Contador was the fifth cyclist in history -- and the first Spaniard -- to win all three Grand Tours. He is considered by many one of the best climbing specialists in the world. In 2012, Contador was stripped of his 2010 Tour de France title and banned for two years after the Court of Arbitration for Sport found him guilty of doping. Alberto Contador Velasco was born in Pinto, in Madrid, on Dec. 6, 1982. He played several sports as a child but discovered cycling at 14 when his older brother started racing.

By the following year, Contador had begun racing at the amateur level around Spain, and by 16, he had signed with a youth professional team. He was immediately noted as a great climber and began earning his first victories by 2000, usually on mountain classifications on the Spanish amateur circle. The following year, he won the U-23 Spanish time trial title. He turned professional in 2003 with the same team that signed him as a youth, ONCE-Eroski, winning his first race as a professional in 2005 at the Setmana Catalana. He was dropped by ONCE-Eroski after implications in a doping case in 2006 and was without a team for several months, though he signed with Discovery Channel in January 2007. Shortly after he earned his first major professional victory, winning the 2007 Paris-Nice. He followed that win with a surprising win in the 2007 Tour de France, winning the competition mostly on the climbing stages and by one of the closest margins ever recorded. Contador moved to the Astana team in 2008 after Discovery Channel left racing, though the start was less than ideal.

The Amaury Sport Organization announced in February that Astana would not be invited to any of its events -- including the Tour de France -- due to doping allegations from years prior. Contador did manage to win the Giro d'Italia, Vuelta a Espana and several other races in that season, though. In 2009, Contador was able to race the Tour de France again, and he earned his second victory (though it was not without controversy, Lance Armstrong's return to Astana creating alleged team tension throughout the season). He repeated his victory once again in 2010, though it again was tinged with controversy. Contador breached typical Tour protocol when he did not stop when leader Andy Schleck's chain fell off. Though he later apologized for his behavior, the public reaction was mixed -- some critics cursing his etiquette, others praising his gamesmanship. Alberto Contador has faced doping allegations more than once in his career, many of the allegations connected to the Operacion Puerto case that occurred early in his career. He and his teammates were barred from competing temporarily, though all charges later were cleared by both the courts and the UCI.

2010 The most serious allegations against Contador arose in September 2010, when he revealed that he failed a drug test at the 2010 Tour de France. The World Anti-Doping Agency lab in Germany found a "very small concentration" of a banned substance, clenbuterol, in his urine sample at the Tour. The UCI issued a statement that the level of the substance in his blood was 400 times less than what the anti-doping agencies must be able to detect and that they would further investigate the result. Contador blamed food contamination from a piece of bad meat that had been brought from Spain during the team's rest day. Experts said Contador's reasoning makes sense, as clenbuterol is given to livestock to increase their growth rate. Contador was provisionally suspended after news of the test became public, though he had already ended his 2010 season. Spanish cycling authorities initially proposed a one-year ban for Contador, but overturned that ruling three weeks later, clearing Contador of doping and allowing him to retain his 2010 Tour de France title.

The International Cycling Union is appealed the acquittal, and in 2012, Contador was banned for two years and stripped of his 2010 Tour de France title. The suspension was backdated, allowing Contador to begin racing again on August 6, 2012. NEWS RESULTS FOR ALBERTO CONTADOR Alberto Contador Wins - 2007 Tour Late Stages - Pictures - CBS News 2007 Tour Late Stages Next Alberto Contador Wins Tour de France winner Alberto Contador of Spain kisses his trophy as third-placed in the overall standings, teammate Levi Leipheimer of the U.S. looks on, on the podium after the 20th and last stage of the 94th Tour de France cycling race between Marcoussis, southwest of Paris, and Paris, Sunday, July 29, 2007. Credit: AP/Peter Dejong Spain's Alberto Contador rides towards the finish line of the 19th stage of the 94th Tour de France, an individual time trial between Cognac and Angouleme, July 28, 2007.

Credit: KLAMAR/AFP/Getty Leader's yellow jersey holder Alberto Contador of Spain, first on left, rides with the pack through the village of La Roque-Gageac during the 18th stage of the 94th Tour de France cycling race between Cahors and Angouleme, central France, Friday, July 27, 2007. Credit: AP Photo/Peter Dejong Young students, from right, Michael, Arthur, Nicolas and Quentin are dressed in huge syringe costumes they made with cardboard to denounce doping scandals which have marred yet another Tour de France, before the start of the 17th stage of the 94th Tour between Pau and Castelsarrasin, Thursday, July 26, 2007. Credit: JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images Italy's Daniele Bennati checks on Germany's Markus Fothen, left, Switzerland's Martin Elmiger, right, and Germany's Jens Voigt as they sprint towards the finish line of the 17th stage of the 94th Tour de France cycling race between Pau and Castelsarrasin, Thursday, July 26, 2007.

Bennati won the stage of the doping-marred event. Credit: FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images Overall leader Michael Rasmussen of Denmark reacts as he crosses the finish line to win the 16th stage of the Tour de France cycling race between Orthez and Gourette-Aubisque pass, Pyrenees mountains, Wednesday, July 25, 2007. Rasmussen was later removed from the race by his Rabobank team after winning the stage for violating team rules, the biggest blow yet in cycling's doping-tainted premier event. Credit: AP Photo/Peter Dejong Levi Leipheimer of the U.S. crosses the finish line to place second in the 16th stage of the Tour de France cycling race between Orthez and Gourette-Aubisque pass, Pyrennees mountains, Wednesday, July 25, 2007. Overall leader Michael Rasmussen won the stage.

Credit: AP Photo/Peter Dejong Christian Moreni of Italy is escorted by gendarmes after the 16th stage of the Tour de France cycling race between Orthez and Aubisque pass, France, Wednesday, July 25, 2007. Moreni failed a doping test for testosterone, a senior French doping official said Wednesday. Credit: AP Photo/Bas Czerwinski Michael Rasmussen, of Denmark, the yellow jersey holder, during the 15th stage of the 94th Tour de France cycling race between Foix and Loudenvielle, Monday, July 23, 2007. Credit: FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images Levi Leipheimer of the U.S. descends during the 15th stage of the 2007 Tour de France from Foix to Loudenvielle Le Louron on Monday, July 23, 2007 in Loudenvielle Le Louron, France.

Credit: Getty Images/Bryn Lennon The pack makes its way through the French countryside during the 15th stage of the 2007 Tour de France from Foix to Loudenvielle Le Louron on Monday, July 23, 2007, in Loudenvielle-Le Louron, France. Credit: Getty Images/Bryn Lennon Alexandre Vinokourov of Kazakhstan reacts as he crosses the finish line to win the 15th stage of the 94th Tour de France cycling race between Foix and Loudenvielle le Louron, in the French Pyrenees mountains, Monday, July 23, 2007. Credit: AP Photo/Christophe Ena A hostess kisses Denmark's Michael Rasmussen as he dons the red-and-white polka dotted jersey of best climber on the podium of the 15th stage of the 94th Tour de France cycling race between Foix and Loudenvielle, Monday, July 23, 2007.

Credit: FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images Alberto Contador is employing stealth to join the Tour de France elite | Sport | The Guardian The Observer Alberto Contador is employing stealth to join the Tour de France elite It is the scar of a career-saving operation and not his tussle with Lance Armstrong that will motivate the Spaniard's bid for a third yellow jersey Alberto Contador of Spain will once again be the man to beat in this year's Tour de France. Photograph: Jean-Pierre Belzit/AP Saturday 26 June 2010 19.05 EDT First published on Saturday 26 June 2010 19.05 EDT Close The following correction was printed in the Observer's For the record column, Sunday 11 July 2010 Contrary to our interview with cycling star Alberto Contador (Sport) the Caisse D'Epargne cycling team is not domiciled in France. It is a Spanish-registered and domiciled team. Caisse D'Epargne is the French sponsor but the management company is Abarca Sports from Pamplona. For the past two decades the Tour de France has belonged to the USA and Spain.

The Americans have followed their national stereotype to the letter: global stars such as Greg LeMond and Lance Armstrong, both of whom managed the greatest comebacks in the sport's history and took salary levels to stratospheric heights, accompanied by, in Armstrong's case at least, whirlwinds of controversy – bigger arguments, juicier doping allegations, and meatier lawsuits. The Spanish, on the other hand, have gone to the other extreme. If Armstrong is the equivalent of a jet fighter – very fast, cracking the sound barrier as he goes, shaking those around him out of their slumbers, and leaving an unmissable slipstream – the Spanish resemble those funny black triangular things made largely of carbon fibre that zip about under the radar. They are stealth cyclists, remaining largely unnoticed before and after the racing is done. Miguel Indurain was the first Spanish stealth champion, dominating the Tour from 1991 to 1995, five Julys in which the most dramatic event was the annual ritual of watching him receive his birthday cake.

As Indurain was about to win his first Tour, a Spanish journalist came up with the phrase that was to sum up Big Mig: so impenetrable was the great man, said the writer, that the woman in his life would never know the man she had married. Oscar Pereiro and Carlos "the silent assassin" Sastre, respectively 2006 and 2008 winners, were so obscure that no one even went to the trouble of dreaming up such a line about them. This year, Spain's fourth stealth cycling champion, Alberto Contador, is expected to win his third Tour in four starts, if the form he has shown this year holds. Three Tour victories would be key, as that marks the point at which a Tour winner joins a small, elite club: one or two wins is the norm, but only eight riders in the race's history have managed three victories or more. Equally strong in the time trials and the mountains, Contador is the perfect all-rounder, and has won every major Tour he has entered since 2007, taking the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España in 2008, when he did not start in France.

Only four other cyclists have won all three Grand Tours during their careers. It is a remarkable record for a rider still only 27. Yet he has remained in the shadows, emerging to take the plaudits before returning to live the life of a normal man in Pinto, an anonymous dormitory town in the Madrid hinterland No tax exile in Monte Carlo for him. As far as indulgences go, Contador's are decidedly modest by sports star standards: a Porsche he bought after his Giro win, a BMW that was his personal reward after last year's defeat of Armstrong, a Weimar dog called "Tour" bought after his first win in the French race. Birds are one of his hobbies, but he has given up his aviary of 20 canaries. "Off the bike he is a simple, humble guy, but on the bike … There are two different faces to Alberto: one in the saddle, the other in front of the press," said his directeur sportif, the Italian Giuseppe Martinelli, who ironically enough was Marco Pantani's manager in the 1990s. The same was said of Indurain, time after time.

Other than his dramatic attacks in the mountains, Contador's one concession to the charisma-seekers is the victory salutethat usually follows those attacks: he mimes a shooting gesture like a child playing cowboys and Indians, which has led to him being nicknamed pistolero or gunslinger. Spanish stealth cyclists are a recent trend, some would say a historical aberration. On two wheels, Spain was once known for producing charismatic, quixotic figures such as Federico Bahamontes, a child of the civil war famed for two episodes, one in which he was (wrongly) claimed to have left the field behind on a climb, then stopped at the top for an ice cream, another in which he set about an opponent with a pump. Luis Ocaña was a tormented champion of the 1970s, who regularly attempted to defeat Eddy Merckx only to implode dramatically en route. Perico Delgado was an equally unpredictable character who lost the 1989 Tour in unprecedented style by turning up late for the start of the prologue. Perhaps this seachange helps explain why Spain is no longer a major cycling nation, if its representation in the Tour is any measure.

There is one Spanish-registered team in the Tour, but it would be insulted at that description: Euskaltel is Basque, not Spanish. The Caisse d'Epargne squad is French-backed and domiciled, but largely Spanish-managed. And that is it. Ironically, Spain has the strongest stage racer in the world, but no team for him to ride in. As a result, Contador will line up in the colours of Astana, financed by the Kazakh national development fund Samruk Kazyna, with largely Italian management and inevitably known as Team Borat. Spanish sponsors, one suspects, hanker after the romantic days of Perico and company (also, perhaps, after a time when dope scandals were less common). Contador began riding a handed-down bike from his elder brother Francisco at the age of 15. On their first ride together, on a little hill outside Pinto, he was faster than his brother, and that seems to have sparked his interest in cycling, after forays into athletics and football.

From his earliest races he was given the nickname Pantani, after the iconic controversial Italian climber of the mid-1990s,because like Pantani he would always sprint for the King of the Mountains award in every event he rode. By the age of 20, he was a professional, under the tutelage of Manolo Saiz, the rotund Buddha-like figure who had a knack for discovering emerging stars until he was busted during the Operación Puerto blood doping scandal of 2006. One reason why Contador has remained relatively unsung is because each of his Grand Tour wins has been overshadowed by other events. His 2007 Tour victory, riding for the Discovery team, was a relative anti-climax as the race tried to get its collective head around a series of drug scandals. His 2008 Giro and Vuelta wins were emphatic – the more so as he rode the Giro at a week's notice – but what mattered more was the fact that his team, Astana, were refused entry to the Tour due to involvement in the 2007 drug scandals (in which Contador had not been implicated). No Tour winner had ever had to suffer such humiliation.

2009, of course, was the year of the reprise of cycling's greatest comeback, with Armstrong in the starring role. Contador may have won, but the main strand in the plot was his relations with the Texan, who was then also riding for Astana and employed every psychological trick up his sleeve in an attempt to destabilise the younger man. Armstrong attacked Contador on a cross-wind stage early on, and then criticised him publicly for not following the team's gameplan in the Pyrenees. Afterwards, Contador said there had been "a tendency to prioritise other people's interests". In other words, Astana were racing for Armstrong even though Contador was the strongest. It might have seemed astonishing that Contador was not destabilised, but in fact it is no surprise once his past was taken into account. In 2004, Contador crashed at the Tour of Asturias. It seemed an ordinary fall, but Contador noticed something: he had abrasions on the back of his hands, not the palms as would be expected. In other words, he had been unconscious when he fell.

It was discovered that the fainting fit was linked to a cavernoma, an aneurism: he was offered the option of a risky operation to solve the problem, or remaining handicapped in the sense that he would not be allowed to ride his bike or drive. The operation left him with 100 stitches running from ear to ear, but it left him with something else, according to those close to him: maturity. "He has said this escape has helped him recognise what is important in life: every time he looks in a mirror he can see the scar, which is as if a doctor had opened his head to look at his brain," says Jacinto Vidarte, the former journalist who handles press for Contador. "He looks older than his true age, because he matured quickly. It always surprises people:when they start talking to him, he seems far older and more experienced than they expect." There are question marks over Contador's ability to notch up a third Tour win. One involves the strength of his team: Astana was left virtually riderless when Armstrong moved on with all his mates, and has been rebuilt with a core of strong Italians and Spaniards, including Pereiro.

It has never looked poor this year, but whether it will come apart in the crucible of the Tour is another question. There are also doubts about Contador's capacity to get through one specific stage, the third, which includes several sections of the cobbles used in the Paris-Roubaix Classic. But if he is in with a shout when the Tour enters the Pyrenees in the final week, the Spanish stealth fighter will take some shooting down. Bradley Wiggins leads Britain's Team Sky in Tour de France | William Fotheringham Published: 26 Jun 2010 Emma Pooley has ended Nicole Cooke's nine-year reign as Britain's road race champion by clinching the national title in Pendle today Published: 27 Jun 2010 World Sports Timeline Home > Sport > World > Timeline World Sports Timeline Here is a timeline of some significant events in the world of sport. There are many more things that happen each year related to sport, but here I am trying to list just those significant events for 'world' sports. For sporting events this and other future events, see the Calendar of Major Sporting Events . See also the timeline of sport firsts and a brief history of sports .

Year 2013 A major highlight of this year was one of the greatest ever sporting comebacks was provided by the America's Cup sailing race held in San Francisco. The US Oracle Team came back from being 1-8 down to win 9-8 against Team New Zealand. See more results and analysis of sports in 2013 . 2012 The major event of this year was the London Olympic Games, which finished with the USA on top of the medal tally, above China and the UK. The superstar was Usain Bolt winning the 100/200m double again. The biggest story to rock the sporting world was the banning of Lance Armstrong, and stripping of his 7 Tour de France titles. See more results and analysis of sports in 2012 . 2011 Major sporting events this year included the Women's Football World Cup, and World Cups in Rugby, Baseball and Cricket. In basketball, Dallas defeated Miami to win their first NBA title, however the biggest news story was the 161-day NBA lockout over money issues which delayed the start of the 2011–12 regular season. See more results and analysis of sports in 2011 .

2010 The year 2010 had three major multi-sport events, the Winter Olympics, FIFA World Cup and the Commonwealth Games. Athletes from Spain performed well, with Spain winning the World Cup, Alberto Contador winning the Tour de France and Rafael Nadal taking over the mantle of Federer in the world of tennis. See more results and analysis of sports in 2010 . 2009 Highlights of this year in sport include the New York Yankees winning their 27th World Series in their 40th appearance. Lance Armstrong was somewhat successful in his comeback, finishing third in the Tour de France behind Spain's Alberto Contador. See more results and analysis of sports in 2009 . How Much Money Do Tour de France Winners Make? - Money Nation How Much Money Do Tour de France Winners Make? Tom Gerencer Jul 5, 2016 There are $2.5 million in Tour de France money prizes in 2016. The winner will get $550,000 but the real money comes in future endorsement deals and cycling team salary increases.

The total purse for the Tour de France has actually gone down from its ten year high of $3.85 million in 2011. Even in 2006 the prize money was at $3.52 million. The money dropped to just over $2 million in 2013 and has risen gradually and sporadically since then. Taking up the slack of the relatively low prize money (low for a major sporting event) are salaries that can top $1 million for a winner and endorsement deals in the neighborhood of $3 million a year total for a seasoned multi-year champion like Alberto Contador. Between prize money, salary and endorsement deals, the difference between never winning a Tour de France and winning one is huge. A win can take a cyclist from making $100,000 in one year to making $3 million the following year. Successive wins can ramp things up from there, with a ceiling of about $5 million per year. While that doesn’t measure up to income of over $50 million a year for top stars in the NBA, the NFL, MLB or PGA, it’s still not bad compensation for career athletes who are following their passion.

How Much Money Does a Tour De France Winner Get? Asking for the total amount of Tour de France money a winner will receive is a bit of a loaded question. The reason is that the winner’s payout will depend heavily on what level of pay they already enjoy. A cyclist who is relatively new to the sport can see a jump of 6,000% or more, while a seasoned veteran who has won the Tour multiple times like Alberto Contador will likely see a much more modest 10% earnings bump. That’s because the prize money is a relatively low $550,000 for a first place finisher. The real Tour de France money comes in the form of millions in future salary and endorsement deals. Once a cyclist has already been airlifted into the big money zone, all they really get from a Tour de France win is a guarantee they can keep earning at a high level for the next few years. The table below shows the top level info for a Tour de France win, in terms of prize money, salary and endorsements. For the table, we assume we’re talking about a cyclist who has already won some major tours, but not the Tour de France.

This cyclist already has about $600,000 a year in salary and roughly $500,000 in endorsement deal money. The table shows the first place prize money for the win and the boost to yearly earnings for both salary and endorsements. Total Tour de France Money Euros Related: How Much Money Players Make if they Win NBA Finals Tour de France Prize Money in 2016 The total Tour de France money in 2016 is €2,295,850 which at the time of this writing is $2,525,435. There are lots of prizes for different achievements along the tour, so that prize money isn’t divided equally among the cyclists according to how they place. That said, the first place finisher gets $550,000, 2nd place gets $220,000 and 3rd place gets $110,000. The table below shows how the top ten finishers get paid in terms of prize money alone. In addition to the numbers shown below, every cyclist in the Tour from #20 to #160 gets $1,000.

Tour de France Money 2016 Place $4,180 Tour de France Endorsement Boost The Tour de France money from salary and endorsement increases is the biggest prize a cyclist can get. Looking at endorsements first, the table below shows earnings estimates for five Tour de France winners from the past ten years. The cyclists endorsement earnings are shown both before their Tour de France wins and afterward. In most cases, a cyclist who performs well in major cycling events can pull in sponsor dollars upwards of half a million a year. After a Tour de France win, that money can increase to over $1 million a year, according to reports. Alberto Contador is a special case. He won the Tour in 2007, 2009 and 2010. His endorsement pay has been reported at $3 million per year from deals with companies like Specialized and Tinkoff Bank. Successive wins of course generate more interest and create more confidence that a cyclist has some staying power. That in turn makes him a safer bet for sponsors who are looking for a spokesman.

Potential Future Money Increase from Tour de France Win Tour de France Winner and Year Endorsement Earnings Before Win Related: How Much Money Do You Make if You Win the Super Bowl ? Salary Increases After a Tour de France Win Endorsements and prize money aren’t the only source of Tour de France riches. According to online reports, cyclists get paid more by their teams depending on performance. The table below shows approximate pro cyclist earnings levels by general categories of experience, in both euros and dollars. The minimum salary for any pro tour cyclist sits at €35,000, or $38,850. That salary increases as a cyclist hits certain career benchmarks like placing in the Tour de France or other Classics. Tour de France money for a first place finisher can come in the form of a future salary of over €1,500,000 or $1,665,000 from the cyclist’s team. Pro Cyclist Salary Benchmarks — Alberto Contador (@albertocontador) July 4, 2016 Past 10 Years of Tour de France Money The total purse of Tour de France money has trended downward over the past ten years.

That’s not such a bad thing, since the lag is more than made up for by salary and endorsement increases. The table below shows how the total purse has changed, going up from $3.5 million in 2007 to a height of $3.85 million in 2011, then dropping to just over $2 million in 2013 and only going up significantly in 2016. Total Tour de France Money Past 10 Years Year Related: How Much Money Do Pro Golfers Make ? Who Will Get the Most Tour de France Money this Year? Who will get the most Tour de France money in 2016? If we knew the answer to that question for a fact we’d stop writing these articles and place some big money bets instead. Still, we can do some fairly good estimating. Chris Froome, the British cyclist from Team Sky, already won the Tour in 2013 and 2015 and is considered to have the best shot for a repeat win in 2016.

Colombian Nairo Quintana for the Movistar team took 2nd place in 2013 and 2015 and is seen to have the best shot at beating Froome. Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador has won the Tour de France three times already and at 33 is still in good shape for his attempt at a fourth win. The table below shows the top ten favorites for making the most money from the Tour, in order. Conspicuously absent from our oddsmakers’ list is Mark Cavendish, who just won his 28th Tour stage. — Mark Cavendish (@MarkCavendish) July 3, 2016 Tour de France Winners Past 10 Years Who won the most Tour de France money in the past ten years? Alberto Contador won three times, landing nearly $1.5 million in prize money, plus an annual salary of about $1.5 million and endorsement contracts worth an estimated $3 million every year. Not far behind is Christopher Froome, with two wins in the past three years and all the salary and endorsement boosts that come from that. The other Tour de France winners are shown in the table below.

As of 7/17/16, the Tour De France has completed stage 16. Tour de France Money 2006-2015 Tour de France Tour de France: Lance Armstrong v Alberto Contador is match-up world craves to see - Cycling - Telegraph Tour de France: Lance Armstrong v Alberto Contador is match-up world craves to see As far as sporting comebacks go, it's perhaps the biggest and most significant of them all.

Comeback: Lance Armstrong will compete for his eighth Tour de France title Photo: EPA Stunning: the Tour de France is everyone's favourite cycling race Photo: Getty Images In the pack: by the final stage, Lance Armstrong already knew he'd won Photo: Reuters Determined: Lance Armstrong has come back from cancer to be the best Photo: AFP Image 1 of 6 Pulling away: Armstrong always seemed to have more in the tank than the others Photo: EPA Incident: even after crashing, Armstrong got back up to retake the lead Photo: Reuters By Felix Lowe Comments In an online Vanity Fair article published yesterday, and a video released on his cancer organisation Livestrong's website, Lance Armstrong confirmed that he will, "one hundred per cent", ride the 2009 Tour de France - and do so to win. If this was anyone else but Armstrong you wouldn't bet against such a ground-breaking decision ending in tears. The seven-time Tour de France winner will be 37 years old by the time next year's race gets under way on the Formula One circuit in Monaco next July.

Only one rider over 34 in the race's history has ever won the Tour - 36-year-old Belgian Firmin Lambot in 1922 - but then again only one sportsman in history has ever recovered from near-terminal cancer to achieve what Armstrong achieved until his retirement at the top of his game in 2005. Which is why many fear for the Texan's legacy. By leaving the sport at the height of his powers Armstrong maintained an unparalleled unbeaten run in the world's hardest sporting event. In doing so, he became a heroic figure for cancer sufferers worldwide - an icon bigger than the sport which made him. Related Articles Hoy gives approval to 2012 Olympic velodrome 08 Sep 2008 But it is precisely for his athletic legacy that Lance seeks a return to the fold. His career was blighted by constant accusations of foulplay - despite the fact that he never returned a positive doping test in competitive racing. With cycling having been reborn over the last few years as an event that won't tolerate the cheaters, the 2009 Tour will give Armstrong the ideal chance to prove his abilities to his detractors - and to the cynics in general.

It was left to Armstrong's lawyer to confirm the rumours of his friend and client's return. "We're not going to try to win second place," said Bill Stapleton. The 'we' shows just how delicate Armstrong's situation has become over the last decade. Besides his on-going quest to improve cancer awareness, there are also sporting reasons that drive the ever-competitive Armstrong back into the peloton. The American has ridden in recent mountain bike and cyclocross events, while his sub-three-hour time in the last two New York marathons shows just how fit he still is. Indeed, given the fact that since his departure the Tour has been won by both Oscar Pereiro and Carlos Sastre - two average riders despite all their qualities - evidence suggests that Armstrong would have already sewn up the eighth title he now so craves had he put his initial retirement plans on hold. It will not be until Sept 24 at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York that Armstrong will disclose which team he will ride with in the coming season. Rumours suggest he will team up with his good friend Johan Bruuyneel at the Luxembourg-based, Kazakh-funded Astana team.

This makes sense: the two worked together on each of the previous seven wins, while the arrival at Astana of another former US Postal/Discovery team director, Dirk Demol, seems to confirm the inevitability of it all. The official team line is dismissive of such a reunion, a press officer saying in no uncertain tones: "Armstrong is no part of our team. Team Astana has no plans with him." But that may be because the prospect of Armstrong at Astana spells out a huge conundrum regarding the fate of the sport's new superstar, Alberto Contador. It is hard to see the 2007 Tour winner play second fiddle to a rider more than 10 years his senior - especially given the fact he was denied the chance of defending his crown this year owing to Astana's exclusion from the race. The 25-year-old Spaniard instead rode the Giro, winning the three-week race in Italy in May on a whim after less than a week's preparation. Contador is currently racing the Vuelta in Spain and is the favourite to triumph when the race concludes in Madrid on Sept 21.

If Contador adds the Vuelta to his rapidly expanding palmarès, he will become only the fifth rider in history to win all three major tours - and the first rider to do so in just 14 months. In short, Contador makes Armstrong look like a comparative one-trick pony of a racer. Age may be on his side but if Contador was to think about his own professional cycling career surely he would be bent on bringing about his own Tour hegemony, rather than contributing to the extended longevity of another's? There can be no denying that a team boasting Armstrong, Contador, the American Levi Leipheimer and Germany's Andreas Kloeden would be an explosion of riches that could hog the entire podium come next July in Paris. But how Astana can convince a rider who has the potential to join the elusive five-Tour club himself to put his plans on ice for yet another year is anyone's guess. The likelihood is that Contador will demand to be released from his contract, whereby wiping out Astana's leadership structure and forward planning in one-fell swoop. All in favour of following a path which quite probably only has the legs to last one year.

And yet for the good of the sport, Armstrong and Contador must be on different teams next year. If the American's comeback is to have any credibility it must be done in spite and not in collusion of his successor. Such a battle of old against new would be the sporting highlight of 2009. Lance Armstrong's greatest on YouTube: UPDATED: Alberto Contador's doping timeline | VeloNews.com On March 6, Contador said the Giro d’Italia would be his first major goal of 2011. On February 15, the federation reversed course and cleared Contador , freeing him to start the following day’s Volta ao Algarve. The UCI had 30 days to decide if they wanted to appeal the decision to the Court for Arbitration of Sport. On January 26, the Spanish cycling federation told Contador that it proposed a one-year suspension for the positive, notifying him that he could submit more information before the decision was final. 2010 Contador won his third Tour. In late September, Contador announced that he had been informed that a urine sample he gave on the July 21 rest day tested positive for clenbuterol.

He vowed to fight the charge, saying the contamination came from some Spanish beef he ate on the rest day. 2010, Contador announces positive test 2009 Contador returned to the Tour with Astana (and a surprise new teammate, Lance Armstrong) and won it, his third grand tour win in a row. That year Contador raised eyebrows with his blazing ascent during stage 15 of the Tour de France. Three-time Tour winner Greg LeMond publicly questioned whether a un-doped rider could go up the Verbier so fast . In late 2009 the French magazine Le Monde reported that officials had found suspicious medical supplies that Astana disposed of during the 2009 Tour. The supplies included included syringes, perfusions and anti-hypertension medications according to the magazine, but no doping products were found. 2008 Contador joined Astana, along with Discovery manager Johan Bruyneel. However, as in 2006, doping allegations against others kept Contador from starting the Tour. This time Tour organizers refused to invite Astana because of teammembers’ doping the previous year, most notably Alexander Vinokourov’s positive for blood doping.

Despite the new management and riders, Tour owner Amaury Sport Organisation barred Astana from the Tour and other ASO events . Contador won the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a Espana that year, instead. 2007 Riding for a post-Armstrong Discovery team, Contador won his first Tour de France. He inherited — and then defended — the yellow jersey after race leader Michael Rasmussen was pulled from the race by his team. Rasmussen had missed several anti-doping tests prior to the Tour and allegedly lied to the team about his whereabouts. 2007 Tour de France, Contador and chickens 2006 Contador was set to start his second Tour de France with Astana-Würth, the new name for the Liberty Seguras/ONCE program that Contador had turned pro with in 2003. However, five members of the Tour team, including Contador, were named in the emerging Operacion Puerto scandal . The Tour banned the five riders from the race and the team pulled out before the start.

Contador’s name appeared on a list of nine high-profile competitors now known as the Puerto 9, and his name appeared in several documents related to case. However, the UCI and a Spanish judge cleared him of any involvement with doping and Puerto’s alleged ringleader, Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes, told Spanish radio that he had never worked with him. “I was on the wrong team at the wrong time,” Contador said. “My name was on this infamous list, but one week later, the UCI had more time to examine the documents and I was taken off. My relation with Puerto was annulled … I was cleared of any link with the scandal.” 2005 Contador returned to top-level racing, marking his return by winning a stage at the Tour Down Under after attacking with his Liberty Seguras teammate Luis Leon Sanchez. He started his first Tour de France and finished 31st. 2004 In May, a then nearly-unknown 21-year-old Contador collapsed and crashed on his face during the first stage of the Vuelta a Asturias , almost dying on the road.

In later years, skeptical bloggers tried to tie the collapse to doping, but Contador’s doctors said he had a congenital brain condition called a cerebral cavernoma that is probably related to the condition that caused his younger brother’s cerebral paralysis. After brain surgery and a long rehabilitation, he was cleared to start training again in November that year . 2005 Tour Down Under: Sanchez and Contador celebrate 2005 Tour Down Under: Sanchez and Contador celebrate. It was Contador’s big return to the sport after his collapse the year before. 2005 Paris Nice: Contador and future teammate Alexander Vinokourov 2005 Paris Nice: Contador and future teammate Alexander Vinokourov 2006 Paris-Nice prologue, Contador finishes fourth 2006 Paris-Nice prologue, Contador finishes fourth 2006 Tour of Romandie. Alberto Contador 2006 Tour of Romandie.

Alberto Contador 2006 Tour de Suisse Contador stage win 2006 Tour de Suisse Contador stage win 2007 Tour de France, Contador and chickens 2007 Tour de France, Contador and chickens 2007 Tour de France, Contador and Rasmussen Rasmussen seemed certain to win the 2007 Tour. And then he went ka-Pau. File photo The Puerto Nine CNN.com - Paging Dr. Gupta Blog Monday, July 30, 2007 The Tour de France and the human body After three weeks, 2,206 miles and boundless doping controversies, the 2007 Tour de France ended yesterday. More than 140 men raced to the finish line, as 24-year-old Spaniard Alberto Contador won cycling's biggest event. I wonder if it was bittersweet for him and for everyone else who finished in Paris? This year's Tour was mired in controversy with teams and top riders dropping out and plagued by positive drug tests and swirling controversy about missing pre-race testing.

Even last year's winner, American Floyd Landis, is in racing limbo because he tested positive on his way to the 2006 title. You can't mention the Tour de France without a nod to seven-time winner Lance Armstrong. He, too, was plagued by doping allegations and rumor, but never tested positive. How did Lance not only battle cancer but also win what is arguably the toughest sporting event of all time? "In the untrained state he would be about as fit as an average person that trained as hard as he could ever in his lifetime," says Dr. Edward Coyle, director of the Human Performance Laboratory at the University of Texas Austin. Coyle measured and studied Armstrong's physiology for more than seven years -- before and after his famous bout with cancer. Armstrong's heart can pump nine gallons of blood per minute working at its hardest compared with only five gallons per minute for the average person. The champion's lungs can get almost double the amount of oxygen out of every breath that a healthy 20-year-old would. This cyclist has more red blood cells to deliver oxygen to his body, which is key, when racing through the high altitudes of the Pyrenees Mountains. Finally, Armstrong's body can recover at an incredible pace.

"An average person when going to exhaustion would have to stay stopped or wouldn't be able to move for 10-15 minutes and Armstrong is able to go right back to maximum in 1 to 2 minutes," says Coyle. All of this begs the question - is Lance superhuman? Obviously not, but the way his body works is extraordinary. To be sure, the Tour de France is an amazing athletic feat even for Armstrong. "Each day, they put out more energy than it takes to run a marathon. So the 20-stage tour is like 20 marathons in a row," says Dr. Conrad Earnest of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center. Do you follow the Tour de France? Why do you think cycling is so marred by doping - truth or rumor? Posted By A. Chris Gajilan, Senior Producer, Medical News: 9:02 AM ET Alberto Contador Bio, Stats, and Results | Olympics at Sports-Reference.com Sport: Cycling Biography Alberto Contador is a Spanish professional who is one of five riders ever to have won all three of the grand tours – the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia, and the Vuelta à España.

He is known for his climbing ability, and primarily specializes in stage racing because of this. Contador turned professional in 2003 with his first major victory coming in 2007 when he won Paris-Nice. Later that year he also added victory in the Tour de France. In 2008, Contador became one of only nine cyclists to have won two grand tours in the same year, as he won the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta à España. In 2009-10, Contador again won the Tour de France, riding in 2009 for the Astana team alongside [Lance Armstrong], who was making his return to pro cycling. Contador's other major victories include the Vuelta al País Vasco in 2008-09 and Paris-Nice in 2010. Despite his victories, he has had his detractors. During the 2009 Tour de France, Armstrong and Contador did not get along during the race, and Armstrong was openly critical of Contador not following team rules. Contador has also been under suspicion of drug use.

In 2006 he was on the Astana-Würth team which had to withdraw from the Tour when it was implicated in Operación Puerto, although Contador was eventually cleared of wrongdoing. However, in September 2010, he tested positive for clenbuterol use, and was suspended by the UCI, although this was later overturned. Results

Question: Alberto Contador won which major sporting event in 2007?
Answer: Tour de France