- Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador confirmed on Wednesday he will make his return to competition the day after his two-year doping ban expires at the Eneco Tour in Belgium and Holland on August 6.
 
"The Eneco Tour will be a very special race for me for various reasons," the Saxo Bank rider said on his website. "It will be my return to competition, which I can't wait for," he said, adding: "I'm very excited to make my comeback here because these are two countries with a strong cycling tradition and where cycling moves more people than anywhere else."

Contador was banned for testing positive for the anabolic steroid clenbuterol at the 2010 Tour de France. He blamed his positive test on a contaminated steak that he ate during that year's Tour, one of three editions of the race that he won.

He was stripped of the 2010 Tour victory and of his 2011 Tour of Italy title and the ban meant he could not compete at this year's Olympics.

The 29-year-old, who is under contract with Saxo Bank until 2015, will be using the Eneco Tour to prepare for the Tour of Spain which starts on August 18 in Pamplona.

"The route is not my favorite but my ultimate goal will be to get into the rhythm of competition to meet the objectives for the end of the season," he added.