Contador case postponed until nobody cares.

26. Jul, 2011 17 Comments

The court rests. For a long time.

CAS postponed the Contador hearing until November. Important point of precision: they didn’t say which year.

Twisted Spoke is privy to those high level procrastinations that have taken place in the hallowed halls of the Lausanne arbitration board.

The hearing is now set for November, 2020.

While the explanations and justifications haven’t hit the mainstream media yet, we do have the quotes from the people in charge.

“It is a difficult and complicated case. The Contador brief was 600 pages and now it is 1200. We are not speed-readers. We would just like the luxury of evaluating the evidence,” said French CAS judge Pierre Lentement.

The need for extra reading time isn’t the only reason for the long postponement. “Nobody wants to actually rule on the case. It’s a lose-lose no matter what,” said Enrico Slowpokelli of Italy. “If we wait, we can get off CAS and new judges will have to deal with it. I think that is better.”

Finally, the definitive statement was given by CAS’s Lars Andressen, “We think it is best that we wait until nobody cares. Not Contador, not UCI, not WADA. Then, whatever we decide won’t essentially matter. Nobody will care.”

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  • IdeaStormer Jorge

    I have to admit I was on the "Fry Contador" mob pre-Tour. Then something odd happened near the end of week one, the Schlecks took on an arrogance as if they were owned the Yellow Jersey and didn't take it when they should of. The Schlecks mocked it and just sat up as if only waiting for someone to fail to have it handed to them. Then the Schlecks opened their mouth's and well Contador all of a sudden became the underdog, mainly due to losing time on accidents and well the Schlecks mouths and lack of taking the Yellow. By week three the Schlecks were the super evil villains and Contador the super-underdog. What the …! When did that happen I wondered? Well it did and now the CAS hearing is also falling on deaf ears, all of a sudden I blame the bad beef steaks and think Luxemburg might be the source of all tainted beef! How'd that happen?

    • http://www.velotales.com Dane Walsh

      And there I thought I was the only Contador turncoat. I went from hoping that riders like Wiggins, the Schlecks, Evans, Vino and any one of the four "leaders" of RadioShack would beat him, to cheering him on up Alpe d'Huez.

      And every time Andy stuck his hand out to suggest the group he was in form a pace line was another black dot against his name. It was like he even expected riders on other teams with their own aspirations to deliver him into yellow. If you want to win the TDF, you make like Evans and do all the hard work yourself.

      And all the while Contador kept to himself, nursed his injuries, hung onto until he couldn't any more, and then as the rider with no. 1 on his back put in a dazzling attack up Alpe d'Huez that ultimately was one kilometer too long. He did his defending champion status proud.

      Perhaps I am just a sucker for an underdog, who knows, but I now freely admit that I have jump the Schleck boat and am a firm Contador fan.

      • http://www.atwistedspoke.com TwistedSpoke

        Dane, given all of Contador's legal problems and his overwhelming dominance in grand tours, this year's underdog role suited him well. HE earned plenty of sympathy and impressed people with his fightening spirit. I think you could argue that finishing off the podium was the best possible outcome for him. Matt

    • http://www.atwistedspoke.com TwistedSpoke

      Very strange indeed. If Contador wanted some sympathy, then the underdog role suited him well. I think the Schlecks made the serious mistake of assuming the race was theirs once Alberto was out of the picture. They didn't respect Evans enough and waited too long to try to get more time. But if you were on the mountains, everybody cheered the Schlecks and wanted Andy to win. Matt

  • http://www.facebook.com/cuttsnake Steven Cutts

    Have to agree the comments above. Mind you, they could still hold the hearing now – I'm pretty sure most people no longer care.

    • http://www.atwistedspoke.com TwistedSpoke

      Steve, the whole thing is so embarrassing I don't even know what to say anymore — which is saying a lot for me. Travesty. Matt

  • Theoldmtneer

    Make no mistake about it if Contador was American the witch hunt would be on!

    • http://www.optometrylondon.com Lyndon

      No, he's Spanish. I'm not sure what the opposite of a witch hunt is, but the words 'swept under the carpet' come to mind.

      • http://www.atwistedspoke.com TwistedSpoke

        Staggering, really. I just don't know what to say at this point. November is 16 month after the positive test and who's to say there won't be a delay on the decision, too. Shocking and wrong and destructive to the sport on so many levels. Matt

    • http://www.atwistedspoke.com TwistedSpoke

      Well, yeah, more of a hunt that the Spanish authorities did but they haven't nailed Armstrong yet. Matt

  • Lyndon

    I think it's human nature to admire someone who has lost admirably, as Contador did at the Tour.

    But just think, if he had known his case was to be delayed, skipped the Giro, showed up at the Tour with fresh legs and peaking form, he would have been unstoppable on this years course. And he probably wouldn't have gained as many fans as he has now. It's a funny old world……

    • http://www.atwistedspoke.com TwistedSpoke

      Lyndon, I totally agree as I've written in a few other comments. The underdog role was good for Contador's image. Matt

  • beth

    Like many of you, I was really impressed with Contador's never quit competing attitude. I'm not a fan, and I won't be rooting for him anytime soon. But I don't have the same attitude towards him that I once did. He wants to RACE, he loves to RACE. I got the feeling this tour that Andy Schleck loves bike racing, loves competing, but he isn't really so much into the RACING part of it. It just isn't part of his nature. And if that's an accurate conclusion, he really won't ever win the tour…………

    • http://www.atwistedspoke.com TwistedSpoke

      Beth, I think the Schlecks decided they had the Tour won when Alberto crashed and later had knee problems. Serious mistake. They forget about Evans and it was too late. Matt

  • Sam

    None of the above comments are really to the point. Regardless of how we feel about any one particular athlete in the competition and their position or status, or how they comnpeted within this race, the only issue is whether Contador (or any other athlete that tests positive) had a banned substance in their blood stream or urine.
    I have had my feelings about athletes decimated by what they had on board, in their systems, vs. how I felt about them personally in the past, but none of my personal feelings about them or their expoloits matter here…it is solely about whether the athlete had banned substances in their systems. It should be yes or no question. Absolutely mind boggling and incredibly disappointing that this particular case has taken this long. For the sake of the sport and the activity, I care, and will continue to do so no matter how much time passes. It will ultimnately have little to no affect on whether I ride my bike, but it will continue to bother me that the governing bodies and their highest court have taken so long to come to resolution. Rediculous.

    • Higgins

      Amen.
      No-one wins any events in top level sport only because they took drugs.. they are all highly talented and determined to start with or they would never get there.
      I wouldnt have expected Contador to do anything than try for the win, because thats what motivates a person like him and thats why he had already won the Giro and other events since last years Tour. What matters is whether he (and the losing participants) competed under the rules. It hasnt taken this long to decide on any other cases, appeals or not, and its a damning shame on the governing bodies of the sport that Contador has been allowed to race for a year not knowing if his results will stand.

      • http://www.atwistedspoke.com TwistedSpoke

        Higgins, I agree with your points. I'm so far beyond words on the CAS postponements that I can only shake my head. Staggering, shocking, incomprehensible. It's things like this that make it hard for a great team like HTC-Highroad to find new sponsors. The sport is mismanaged on a colossal level. Matt