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Paris - Alberto Contador was facing the possibility of a two-year ban and losing this year's Tour de France title after the UCI asked the Spanish federation on Monday to open proceedings against him for failing a drugs test.
The 27-year-old Spaniard tested positive for the banned stimulant clenbuterol on the second rest day of this year's Tour, which he won for the third time, beating Luxembourg's Andy Schleck by 39 seconds.
Contador said traces of the substance were found in his system after he ate contaminated meat, prompting the International Cycling Union (UCI) and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to investigate further.
"At the end of a long and meticulous enquiry entrusted to highly qualified, WADA-accredited experts, and considering all the information currently in its possession, the UCI has concluded that disciplinary proceedings should be opened against Alberto Contador," the UCI said in a statement. "The UCI has today sent its request to the Spanish Federation that has competence in this regard. It is now the responsibility of this Federation to determine whether Alberto Contador has breached the UCI Anti-Doping Rules.
"In the meantime, until the end of the proceedings and despite his provisional suspension, Alberto Contador still benefits from a presumption of innocence."
The Spanish federation (RFEC) can decide whether to ban Contador, who the UCI provisionally suspended, or to clear him.
If the federation opts not to sanction the world's top rider, the UCI and WADA will have the opportunity to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
RFEC confirmed in a statement on their website (www.rfec.com) they had received the UCI request.
"The RFEC will, immediately and according to international sporting rules, take ... all the action necessary to clear up and resolve the questions deriving from the anti-doping test conducted on the rider (Contador), following the established regulatory procedures," the statement said.
The federation's president, Juan Carlos Castano, later told Spanish radio RFEC had three months to complete the disciplinary procedure, although he said it could be done much quicker, depending on the circumstances.
The UCI had sent the federation six separate emails with a large amount of documentation that needed to be sifted through, he said, adding that a swift resolution would be best as both Contador and the sport of cycling had already been damaged.
"Personally, as president of the federation, I hope that the case is resolved in favour of (Contador) for many reasons," Castano said.
"Not just because he is a great athlete and it would be good for the sport but because I have known him since he was a junior and he is a rider from Madrid."
If RFEC fail to resolve the case within the three-month limit, it would automatically be handed on to Spain's anti-doping commission, Castano added.
The rider, one of five to have won the three big Tours (France, Italy and Spain) and whose B-sample analysis confirmed the result of the first test, has threatened to quit the sport if he is banned.
Contador signed with the Saxo Bank team in August, after deciding not to renew his contract with Astana.
Saxo Bank have said they will continue to stay on as title sponsors of the team in 2011 even if Contador is suspended.
In a rocky year for cycling, Tour of Spain runner-up Ezequiel Mosquera tested positive for the banned plasma substitute hydroxyethyl starch.
