Armstrong and Contador's team Astana in trouble over Tour de France drip-bags

LANCE Armstrong and Alberto Contador could be in hot water over their 2009 Tour de France campaigns after reports their Astana team will be questioned over the use of drip bags.

TROUBLE BREWING: Team Astana, which featured Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador at the 2009 Tour de France, may be investigated over drip bags according to Le Monde (Getty Images)

Spaniard Contador won his second Tour in 2009 while seven-time winner Armstrong, who has started the new Team Radioshack for next season with former Astana team manager Johan Bruyneel, finished third.

But French newspaper Le Monde has reported drip bags - which have been banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency since 2008 - had been seized by the French Department against Environment Pollution and Public Health (Oclaesp), bringing the Kazakh team's performance into question.

The report said the enquiry is now focussing solely on the Astana team as insufficient evidence had been found amongst other teams.

Searches of the Kazakh team's hotels during the Tour are reported to have uncovered anti-hypertension substances. And while these substances are not illegal themselves, they can be used to counteract hypertension caused by blood transfusions and the use of performance-enhancing drug EPO.

The paper goes on to claim that in their report to the Parisian public prosecutors office, Oclaesp suggested there were significant delays in Astana team member's submission of random blood tests which may have allowed enough time for blood to become diluted.

The revelations comes on the day Scottish cyclist David Millar - who was banned for two years after admitting to taking EPO in 2004 - had claimed professional cycling was escaping it's shady history.