ALBERTO CONTADOR protested his innocence and insisted he can hold his head high in the wake of yesterday’s announcement that he tested positive for a banned substance en route to winning this year’s Tour de France.

THE surgeon who operated on Lance Armstrong’s broken collarbone does not expect the injury to heal completely for at least eight weeks.

Lance Armstrong admits his broken right collarbone could rule him out of the Giro D'Italia in May, casting doubt over his much-heralded Tour de France comeback.