MADRID, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador faces a one year suspension after testing positive for the banned substance clembuterol during last summer's Tour de France, local media reported Thursday.

The Spanish rider, who won last year's race to claim his third triumph in the most important cycling race in the World, was revealed to have small amounts of the clembuterol in his blood and the positive was made public on August 24 last year.

Clembuterol, can be used to aid breathing and as a performance enhancing drug, it is completely banned in any level in a rider's blood, even though the level detected in Contador was not enough to improve his performance in the race.

Contador's excuse was that the clembuterol had entered his bloodstream as the result of eating steak which a friend had brought over for him from Spain. Subsequent tests on meat from the shop where the meat was alleged to have been bought, threw doubt on that theory.

The governing body of World cycling, the UCI, left the case in the hands of the Spanish Cycling Federation and they have decided to suspend Contador from racing for a year.

The suspension dates back to the moment Contador's positive test was announced, meaning that the Spaniard would miss this year's Tour de France and also the Vuelta de Espana (Tour of Spain), which starts four days before his ban is due to end.

It is a major setback to Contador, who signed for the Saxo Bank cycling team at the end of last season.

The decision means he will also be stripped of the Tour title that he won last year and Andy Schleck, who finished second in the race, will now be declared the winner.

"This resolution will mark a before and after regarding minimum quantities of some products," the President of the Spanish Cycling Federation, Carlos Castano, told Spanish national radio.

Contador has previously insisted that he would not accept any punishment and he has 10 days to appeal the decision.

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