Tour de France champion Alberto Contador, on the edge of tears, yesterday denied taking performance enhancing drugs and vowed to appeal a one-year ban.

“I will appeal wherever necessary to defend my innocence to the end,” he told a news conference at his Saxo’s team hotel on the Spanish Balearic island of Majorca.

The Spanish cycling federation (RFEC) on Wednesday informed Contador of its recommendation of a one-year suspension for his positive drugs test from the 2010 Tour de France.

But it left it to the discretion of the three-time Tour de France champion as to whether he made it public.

The 28-year-old rider has 10 days to appeal, but faces becoming the second Tour de France champion to be stripped of his title, after American Floyd Landis in 2006.

“In these 10 days I have, I will do everything I can with my lawyers to see justice done,” Contador said.

“I am an example for many people. I know what I am exposing myself to and for that reason I have never taken performance enhancing drugs. I can say it openly and clearly and with my head held high, I consider myself an example of (drugs) cleanliness.”

Contador, flanked by his spokesman and team chief, appeared repeatedly to be close to tears and his voice often was close to breaking.

Asked whether he would quit the sport, he replied: “Right now I don’t think so.”

The rider denies any wrongdoing and says he unknowingly ingested trace elements of clenbuterol from beef brought from Spain to France during the second rest day of the Tour.