<p><br /> A grim-faced Alberto Contador has said food poisoning was to blame for his positive dope test and the three-times Tour de France winner could "hold his head high" and should not face sanctions.<br /> </p><p><br /> The Spaniard has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for a "very small concentration" of banned anabolic agent clenbuterol during this year's race, cycling's governing body International Cycling Union said on Thursday.<br /> </p><p><br /> Speaking at a packed press conference in a hotel on the outskirts of his home town of Pinto, Contador told reporters his failed test came as a result of eating contaminated meat on the second rest day of the race in July.<br /> </p><p><br /> "It's a case of food poisoning, in which I am the victim," Contador said.<br /> </p><p><br /> "Whether people believe me or not, I know I can hold my head high and I'm not going to hide."<br /> </p><p><br /> Contador's B test returned a reading of 0.000 000 000 05 grams of clenbuterol per mililitre, he said.<br /> </p><p><br /> "Only four laboratories in the world have enough equipment to find it, and in any other it would have been undetectable," said Contador.<br /> </p><p><br /> "This is a real error. The system is very questionable and it has to be changed. I cannot tolerate the idea of a possible sanction."<br /> </p><p><br /> Before leaving the press conference to a wave of applause, Contador admitted that with the succesion of ongoing scandals in cycling it was "almost the norm" for people to doubt the sport.<br /> </p><p><br /> "However, I always defend doping controls, and you won't find a person who is more reliable when it comes to being located for out-of-racing tests."<br /> </p><p><br /> "Right now I'm not worried about my Tour results, I just want this all to be cleared up so my family can stop worrying so much."<br /> </p>
