After more than 24 hours of silence, Michael Rogers has responded to his positive test for clenbuterol. The Australian strongly denies to knowingly have ingested the substance and is convinced that his positive test stems from a case of contaminated food.

Two days ago the cycling world was rocked by another doping scandal when it was informed that Michael Rogers had tested positive for clenbuterol at the Japan Cup which he won back in October. His team was quick to react to the news, telling that Rogers had claimed to never have ingested the substance knowingly nor deliberately and that he feared that the adverse analytical finding origins from a contaminated food source.

However, Rogers himself remained silence for more than 24 hours before finally issuing a statement with his response to the test. He reiterates what he had already told his team, vehemently denying any deliberate attempt to cheat.

“I would like to make it very clear, in the strongest terms possible that I have never knowingly or deliberately ingested Clenbuterol,” he wrote.

Prior to the Japan Cup, Rogers did the Tour of Beijing and he fears that he has eaten contaminated food while staying in China. It is well-known that the Asian country has had problems with contaminated meat and in 2011, 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."

That same year, the German table tennis federation decided not to ban Dimitrij Ovtcharov after he blamed his positive clenbuterol test on contaminated meat.

“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," Rogers wrote. "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.”

Rogers will now have his B sample tested and will remain provisionally suspended until it has been determined whether he has committed an anti-doping rule violation.

“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.

Full support from Tinkov

Earlier this month, it was announced that Oleg Tinkov had bought Team Tinkoff-Saxo from Bjarne Riis and the Russian proudly refused all doping accusations, pointing to the fact that he had never had a doping case in any of the team he had been involved with. With the Rogers case, that statement is no longer valid but Tinkov has been quick to express his full support.

"I hope that @mickrogers 's case is just misapprehension. He will prove that he was clear. I trust him, and believe in him," he wrote on Twitter.

Rogers has been linked with doping in the past. In his affidavit from the Lance Armstrong case, Levi Leipheimer had claimed that Rogers had worked with banned doctor Michele Ferrari. Rogers admitted to have used the doctor's services but said that it had nothing to do with doping and claims to have ended the collaboration in 2006.

That same year Rogers was part of the T-Mobile Team at the Tour de France. Patrik Sinkewitz has claimed that several members of the team travelled to Freiburg to carry out blood transfusions days before the Tour started but Rogers has denied all allegations. He finished 9th in that year's Tour.