Contador adds to Spanish voices defending Armstrong

 Contador adds to Spanish voices defending Armstrong

MADRID, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Alberto Contador has added his voice to those of fellow Spaniards, Samuel Sanchez and Miguel indurain criticizing the decision by the International Cycling Union to strike Lance Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles as a result of doping allegations.

Armstrong was stripped of his titles after an exhaustive study by the United States Anti-Doping Agency concluded Armstrong and his US Postal¹ team had organized the most efficient systemized doping program in cycling.

Although Armstrong never officially gave a positive drug test, the testimony² of over 20 former team-mates was enough to condemn³ Armstrong, who also faces the prospect⁴ of having to repay all of the prize money he won during his time as a professional cyclist.

On Tuesday, Sanchez, the gold medal winner in the 2008 Olympics and five-times Tour winner, Indurain, said they felt the verdict was unfair and speaking at the presentation of the 2013 Tour, Contador gave his support to Armstrong.

"I think that there are moments when Lance is not being given any respect. They are humiliating him and lynching him from my point of view. They are destroying him," said Contador, who was a team-mate of Armstrong himself in the 2009 Tour de France.

Contador won that edition of the Tour after a bitter battle with Armstrong, he also won the 2007 Tour, but was stripped of the 2010 title and banned for two years after a positive test for clembuterol.

He claimed the test came as a result of eating contaminated steak imported from the Basque country, although 14,000 EU tests on Spanish livestock⁵ in 2010 failed to find one case of clembuterol contamination in the country.

Contador had previously⁶ formed part of the 'Astana-Worth' team that was heavily implicated⁷ with the Operation Puerto doping scandal in 2006, although a Spanish judge cleared the Spaniard of any wrong doing.

He also enjoyed a working relationship with Johan Bruyneel, who was Armstrong's team director at US Postal and Discovery, as well as Astana where all three coincided in 2009. Contador worked with Bruyneel at Discovery Channel and also at Astana.

The Spanish rider also worked with Pepe Marti, who was team doctor at Discovery channel and Contador's personal trainer at Astana. Marti received a lifetime ban in the summer for his implication in doping.

"I don't know what happened," said Contador over the Armstrong case. "What I do know is that cycling is popular in the US thanks to him and they know what the Tour is because of him.

"There is no new proof and his ban is based on testimonies⁸ that could have been made in 2005," said the Spaniard, who added there was no need to toughen anti-doping controls in cycling today.

"The measures that there are now are the maximum that they could be," he commented.

1 postal   

adj.邮政的，邮局的

参考例句：

• A postal network now covers the whole country.邮路遍及全国。
• Remember to use postal code.勿忘使用邮政编码。

2 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

3 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

4 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

5 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

6 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

7 implicated   

adj.密切关联的；牵涉其中的

参考例句：

• These groups are very strongly implicated in the violence. 这些组织与这起暴力事件有着极大的关联。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Having the stolen goods in his possession implicated him in the robbery. 因藏有赃物使他涉有偷盗的嫌疑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 testimonies   

（法庭上证人的）证词( testimony的名词复数 )； 证明，证据

参考例句：

• Davie poured forth his eloquence upon the controversies and testimonies of the day. 戴维向他滔滔不绝地谈那些当时有争论的问题和上帝的箴言。
• Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies. 22求你除掉我所受的羞辱和藐视，因我遵守你的法度。