Alberto Contador will become only the second Tour de France winner to be stripped of his victory in the world's biggest bike race after the Court of Arbitration for Sport slapped a two-year suspension on the Spaniard for doping in the 2010 race that he won.
The CAS finding is a result of the appeal lodged to it by the Union Cycliste Internationale and World Anti Doping Agency last March against the Spanish federation's ruling on February 15 last year that cleared Contador and allowed him to race, despite the Spaniard having tested positive for the illegal drug clenbuterol during the second rest day of the 2010 Tour.
As a consequence of its finding, Contador, 29, will join American Floyd Landis - who tested positive in the 2006 Tour in which he finished first - as the only riders to lose their titles.
The Spanish federation's stance was a turn around to its initial recommendation that Contador serve a one-year ban.
It sparked a stinging attack from UCI president Pat Macquaid on Spanish politicians for what he saw as ''biased'' support of Spanish athletes - in particular two who spoke in Contador's defence - the then Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and opposition leader Mariano Rajoy who replaced Zapatero in December last year.
Contador's defence was that the minute traces of clenbuterol found in his urine was due to contaminated meat that had been bought at a Spanish butcher and brought to his team hotel for him to eat that day.
However, the drug is also used by some athletes to lose weight and build muscle.
With the ban being retroactive and dated back to August 5, 2010, Contador will be able to return to racing on August 6 this year. That means that while he will miss this year's Tour and Olympic Games, he will be available for the Tour of Spain and world road titles in Valkenburg, the Netherlands.
''This is a sad day for sport. Some may think of it as a victory but that is not the case. There are no winners when it comes to the issue of doping. Every case is always a case too many,'' UCI president Pat Macquaid said.
The CAS's finding brings to an end a controversy that began when Contador was told of his positive test on August 24, 2010 and was only made public in October that year when a German television journalist confronted the UCI with claims that he had tested positive and was about to break the news and wanted a response.
Ever since, the issue has been bogged down in hearings, appeals, delays and more accusations of biased involvement by some parties.
The delay has also raised serious questions about the efficiency and fairness of the process and calls for it to be improved to the benefit of all in future.
Meanwhile, Contador raced, winning last year's Tours of Murcia, Catalonia and Italy and placing fifth in the Tour.
He resumed racing this year in last month's Tour de San Luis in Argentina where he was second overall to American Levi Leipheimer and won two stages.
Contador was at his home in Pinto, near Madrid, when the CAS announcement was made. On Sunday, he raced in the first of four events of the Majorca Challenge - the 116km Trofeo Palma, placing 98th - then travelled home straight after to prepare for the CAS announcement and its fall-out.
He has 30 days to lodge an appeal with the Swiss Federal Court.
Race officials at Majorca confirmed that Contador's presence in Sunday's race was due to a contractual agreement.
Several Tour stars were in the race, including Australian Tour champion Cadel Evans.
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