Millions lost, the other problem of banned Contador

By Ignacio Naya Feb 7, 2012, 15:53 GMT

Madrid - The loss of millions of dollars are another problem Alberto Contador has to face after the three-times Tour de France champion was banned for two years for doping.

Fines, suspended salary, prize money and legal costs could run up a bill of up to 9 million euros (12 million dollars).

The International Cycling Union (UCI) alone aims to impose a fine of at least 2.485 million euros.

The amount requested by the governing body is based on its anti-doping rules, under which 70 percent of an annual salary is demanded from riders who fail drug tests.

The calculation leads to the conclusion that the salary of Contador, the top global cycling star, rose in 2010 to over 3.5 million euros at the Astana team.

According to Spanish media, the figure has increased to 5 million euros after signing with Danish team Saxo Bank.

Under UCI regulations, teams are not required to pay salaries to sanctioned riders during the suspension period.

Most teams have termination clauses contract in case of doping, but Saxo Bank have so far made no statement on the future of Contador, whose ban expires on August 5.

After a year and a half of waiting, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Monday issued the final verdict and imposed a retroactive punishment of two years.

The CAS also disqualified Contador from all events since the positive test on July 21, 2010, during the Tour, including the 2010 Tour and 2011 Giro d'Italia titles.

UCI spokesman Enrico Carpani told dpa in a telephone interview on Monday he expects race organizers to claim their prize money back from the Spanish rider.

'This is not our problem. But the Tour organizer ASO must for example pay the prize money for the 2010 title to Andy Schleck. And they will probably reclaim it from Contador,' Carpani said.

The Tour title alone is worth 450,000 euros, but distributed among all team members. The 2011 Giro title was worth 140,000 euros.

Contador could lose 1.5 million euros to Astana and a similar figure is estimated to pay his lawyers in the case which dragged on for 18 months.

His two-year contract with Saxo Bank expires at the end of the season. Given the ban, Contador will miss the Giro, Tour and Olympic races in London, making him eligible for only one big 2012 race, the Tour of Spain.

Saxo Bank team leader Bjarne Riis was to show support for Contador by accompanying him to a news conference later Tuesday in his home town of Pinto near Madrid.

But it was not clear whether Saxo Bank would also pay a regular salary to a rider who misses the first seven month of competition.

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