MADRID (AP) — Alberto Contador says he will not appeal a two-year doping ban to a Swiss court and will instead focus on returning to competition at the Spanish Vuelta.
Contador says in Tuesday’s El Mundo newspaper that his lawyers see “little hope” in reversing his ban after a positive clenbuterol test en route to winning the 2010 Tour de France. Contador ruled out an appeal to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, but may still challenge the ban in the European Court of Human Rights.
Contador’s suspension ends in August, just before the start of the Vuelta, and the Spanish cyclist is also eyeing September’s world championships.
The two-time Tour champion says he has no confidence in sports courts, adding “I have not doped, and I am punished.”
