Mike Rogers Positive For Clenbuterol?

AUSTRALIAN medal-winning cyclist Michael Rogers claims his positive test to the banned substance clenbuterol may have been caused by contaminated food.

Rogers was last night provisionally suspended by the UCI and his team Saxo-Tinkoff after returning an "adverse analytical finding" to clenbuterol from a urine sample taken at a race which he won in Japan on October 20.

The World Anti-Doping Agency warned athletes two years ago to exercise "extreme caution" when eating in China to avoid meat contamination.

Rogers had been in China the week before, competing in the Tour of Beijing, and fears the finding is a result of a contaminated food source.

According to Team Saxo-Tinkoff, Rogers never ingested the substance knowingly nor deliberately.

Cycling Australia (CA) this afternoon responded to news of Rogers' suspension but revealed it would not determine any penalty if he is found guilty of a doping offence because Rogers does not hold an Australian racing licence.

But CA chief executive Adrian Anderson said the organisation would "support WADA, ASADA and the applicable national federation in whatever action they deem appropriate".

"Whilst we respect Michael Rogers' right to defend himself, we will support the maximum sanctions under the WADA code if he is found guilty of doping," Anderson said.

"The fact that the drug testing process continues to uncover positive tests should be a lesson to all cyclists that if they chose to dope they can expect to be caught.

"For too long the sport of cycling has been let down at the international level by drug cheats and CA supports every measure to detect and prosecute doping offenders."

On the same day, the UCI also announced that Belgian cyclist Jonathan Breyne had been provisionally suspended after a urine sample from the Tour of Taihu Lake in China on November 5 showed traces of clenbuterol.

WADA warned athletes of possible food contamination in China as far back as November 23, 2011 when it issued a statement saying:

"It has been shown that Mexico and China have meat contaminated with the prohibited substance clenbuterol and WADA's message to athletes competing in these countries remains the same: eat only in restaurants and cafeterias that have been approved by your federation and/or event organiser," the statement read.

The stance was supported by WADA director general David Howman.

"We have collected sufficient evidence to demonstrate that in some countries there is a risk of eating meat that might be contaminated so we say to athletes that they should be sensible and cautious about where they eat," Howman said.

It is not known whether Saxo-Tinkoff travelled to the Tour of Beijing or the Japan Cup this year with a team chef.

Rogers, who turns 34 Friday, is a three-time individual time trial world champion from 2003-2005 and now has the chance to request his 'B sample' from Japan be tested.

He remains provisionally suspended from racing until his national federation convenes a panel hearing to determine whether he has committed an anti-doping rule violation.

Cycling Australia is yet to comment and Rogers could not be contacted this morning.

It is understood that Rogers was to be named in Saxo-Tinkoff's team for the Santos Tour Down Under in Adelaide from January 19-26, but those plans will now be put on hold.

After piloting Bradley Wiggins to victory in last year's Tour de France, Rogers left Sky Procycling to join Alberto Contador at Saxo-Tinkoff this season.

In February, 2012, Contador was stripped of his 2010 Tour de France title and handed a backdated two-year ban for testing positive to clenbuterol during that year's race.

Clenbuterol is a fat-burning and muscle-building anabolic agent that is on WADA's banned list.

Contador argued that the positive test was the result of eating contaminated meat and in February, 2011, he was exonerated by the Spanish cycling federation.

But the UCI appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport which subsequently hit Contador with a two-year ban resulting in him missing the 2012 Tour, and also stripping him of his 2010 triumph which was handed to Luxembourger Andy Schleck.

Rogers has admitted to working with now banned doctor Michele Ferrari in the mid-2000s but says he never used drugs.

Ferrari was banned for life in July last year by the US Anti-Doping Agency as part of its investigation that ultimately brought down Lance Armstrong.