Paris, Nov 10 (IANS/EFE) The International Cycling Union (UCI) said it has asked the Spanish cycling federation to initiate a formal investigation into three-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador for doping.

The Spanish federation has a month to decide whether it will act on the request from the sport's international governing body.

If a probe finds that Contador, 27, violated the World Anti-Doping Code, he would lose his 2010 Tour de France title and probably be banned from cycling for two years.

A banned drug - clenbuterol - was found in Contador's urine July 21, the final rest day of this year's Tour, the UCI said.

However, the amount of the drug was 400 times less than the minimum concentration that World Anti-Doping Agency labs can detect.

Contador, who also won the Tour in 2007 and 2009, has denied using any banned substance and attributed the positive test to contaminated meat a friend brought him from Spain.