Alberto Contador stripped of Tour de France win

Alberto Contador has been stripped of his victory in the 2010 Tour de France and looks set to play no part in this year's race after the court of arbitration for sport gave the Spaniard a two-year ban for a positive test for the stimulant clenbuterol during the 2010 Tour.

That race looks set to be awarded to Andy Schleck of Luxembourg, who finished runner-up to Contador by only 39 seconds.

The precise dates of Contador's ban have yet to be confirmed, although initial reports indicated it would last until August this year – meaning he would be free to ride his home Tour in late August and early September. He does, however, seem likely to lose the victories in the races he has ridden since the process began, including last year's Giro d'Italia title.

The 2010 Tour is the second to be decided through the courts in only five years; the 2006 race winner Floyd Landis was also deprived of victory following a positive test for testosterone.

The CAS verdict brings to an end one of cycling's most protracted doping sagas: Contador's positive test dated back to 21 July 2010, when he was tested during the Tour's rest day in Pau, four days before the Paris finish.