Cycling: Contador 'likely to miss the Tour'

(GETTY IMAGES)

Alberto Contador is likely to miss this year's Tour de France because of the time the investigation into his positive doping test could take, the International Cycling Union (UCI) president, Pat McQuaid, said yesterday.

The three-times Tour champion, provisionally suspended after failing a dope test during the 2010 race, will probably be out of shape or not even cleared to participate in the world's greatest cycling race, McQuaid claimed.

"It is not a good place to be for Contador at the moment," McQuaid said. "We could assume that it's a possibility that he will not be at the Tour de France."

The Spaniard's case is in the hands of the Spanish federation whose ruling is not expected before the end of the month.