Ullrich on Contador

Contador was initially suspended and then cleared by the UCI after traces of clenbuterol were found in his system, which he successfully argued was the result of contaminated meat - the drug is often given to animals to boost muscle mass, as seen most recently when half the Mexican national football team tested positive after eating a tainted batch.

Ullrich, who retired in 2007 after a case against him continued despite charges being dismissed due to a lack of evidence, likened Contador’s case to his own lengthy dispute, saying the turmoil was unnecessary and cast a shadow over the Spaniard.

"Proceedings should definitely be faster," he told Eurosport.de. "In my case I do not care anymore, but the situation is still annoying for me and the other side as well.

"There is a lot of money involved that could be used to improve young cyclists and provide them with better training opportunities."

Ullrich, who was suspended from the 2006 Tour after being implicated in the Operacion Puerto doping case, was never banned by the UCI due to a lack of hard evidence, but is still fighting a court case to clear his name.

He admits that his continued litigation is a point of personal principle - he had come to the end of his career and has no plans to return to the sport - but feels sympathy for Contador, at the peak of his powers and continually dogged by allegations.

"I have come to grips with my case since I do not want to return anyway, but in Alberto’s case it is different," he added.

"His entire career is dependent on the decision. It has become a huge political issue, which has been triggered by the UCI. Nobody has any benefit."

Contador is defending his Tour title under duress, with French fans in particular questioning his presence and a series of crashes and unfortunate incidents leaving him 16th after nine stages.

Ullrich feels the Spaniard's mental state - and the Saxo Bank team’s overall performance - have not helped, but predicts he will return to the summit sooner rather than later.

"A lot has gone wrong for him so far," Ullrich added. "Contador lost more than a minute after one of his accidents. Furthermore his Saxo Bank team was not impressive during the team time trial.

"If your captain is in bad shape mentally, it is not too good for the whole team. Nevertheless I think that Alberto has to be considered as one of the greatest cyclists of our times.

"I hope he will return to a bit more lucky ways in the upcoming days."