Alberto Contador is holed up in a luxury Mallorca hotel as the Tour de France champion comes to terms with the one-year ban handed down to him for failing a doping test.
The 28-year-old Spanish cycling great was informed of the preliminary decision to suspend him by his national federation yesterday and was given 10 days to appeal before a final verdict is reached.
A spokesman says Contador is disillusioned because he is innocent and he feels he is being punished unfairly.
The triple Tour champion also faces being stripped of his 2010 title and has said he may quit cycling if he is punished.
The case could drag on for months as the rider, cycling's world governing body and the World Anti-Doping Agency could challenge the ban if they believe it is too harsh or too lenient.
