On Wednesday, the UCI announced that Michael Rogers (Saxo-Tinkoff) had returned an adverse analytical finding for clenbuterol following his victory at the Japan Cup on October 20.

Before travelling to Japan, the rider had raced at the Tour of Beijing.

Michael Rogers says that he has not knowingly used clenbuterol. He believes that he perhaps ate contaminated meat during the Tour of Beijing, which could be an explanation for his positive test.

“I would like to make it very clear, in the strongest terms possible that I have never knowingly or deliberately ingested clenbuterol,” Rogers said in a statement.

“I can advise that during the period 8th-17th October, before arriving in Japan, I was present in China for the WorldTour race, Tour of Beijing. I understand that it has been acknowledged by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as well as other anti-doping bodies, that food contaminated with clenbuterol is a serious problem in China.”

There is a problem with contaminated meat in China. WADA issued a warning about concerns of contaminated meat and "re-emphasized the need for athletes to exercise extreme caution with regards to eating meat when traveling to competitions in China and Mexico" in November 2011.

Pending analysis of the B-sample, Rogers has been provisionally suspended. He faces a ban of two years under article 21 of the UCI’s anti-doping regulations if found guilty of a doping offence.

“In the following weeks, I will have the opportunity to explain this unfortunate situation to the UCI, in which I will give my full attention and cooperation to resolve this issue in the quickest time frame possible,” Rogers said.