Tour de France winner Alberto Contador has scheduled a press event this Friday in Spain, but says he will decline to answer reporters’ questions after he reads a prepared statement.

Contador issued a release Wednesday notifying media of his plans to read a statement at the offices of Spain’s national sports council – the Consejo Superior de Deportes - in Madrid.

Contador will be accompanied by Discovery Channel team director Johann Bruyneel.

Since winning the 2007 Tour de France, Contador has been the subject of heightened scrutiny regarding his possible involvement with Eufemio Fuentes, the Madrid doctor at the center of the Operación Puerto doping investigation.

While both Fuentes and Contador have denied working together, German anti-doping activist Werner Franke has reportedly provided investigators at the World Anti-Doping Agency with documents detailing the rider’s work with the notorious doctor.

"The name of this Mr Contador appears on several occasions on the court andpolice documents," Franke told German television station ZDF on July 30. "All of this has been simply concealed and hidden under the carpet whilst the name Contador was erased from the list of supicious riders."

Contador’s Wednesday news release did not state a reason for the announcement, and added that the Discovery rider “will not offer a press conference after the reading of the communiqué.”

Meanwhile, organizers of Hamburg's Cyclassics - a ProTour event slated for August 19 - made it clear Wednesday that they will not welcome Contador to the race because of the Puerto connection.

Operación Puerto has effectively ended the careers of several leadingriders, including Jan Ullrich of Germany and Ivan Basso of Italy, afterSpanish police broke up what is believed to be a sophisticated doping networkrun by Fuentes.