www.albertocontadornotebook.info - Alberto Contador Fans Notebook
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ALBERTO CONTADOR NEWS
September 3, 2010
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NOUVEAU! EN FRANÇAIS!
Winner, Tour de France 2007
Winner, Tour de France 2009
Winner, Tour de France 2010
WORLD STROKE CAMPAIGN
CONTADOR INJURED DURING TRAINING
August 31 - Slight injury has led to inflammation of right knee
Alberto Contador crashed yesterday, while training on the outskirts of Pinto, due to an oil slick on a roundabout.
The crash didn’t seem to be serious and Alberto was able to return home on his bicycle, but after spending the night with some discomfort, today he has a pronounced inflammation of the right knee.
A rest period will be required for observation of the injury, which means that Alberto will begin a scheduled break from training one week sooner than planned. (Official press release, AC press room)
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¡LA VUELTA!
August 31 - Visits with Contador's Astana team at the Tour of Spain
Christine has gone to the Vuelta a España to support Astana and meet a few new faces at Alberto's team for 2011, Saxo Bank-SunGard.
Enjoy her reports and photos at the ASTANA FAN CLUB
HAITI ORPHANAGE WATCH
Act by August 31 for chance to own Alberto's wristwatch
Proceeds from the watch Alberto wore during Stage 20 (pictured above) will help Haitian orphans (Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images)
Alberto Contador has donated the watch that he wore on the day of his victory in this year’s Tour de France to the cause of rebuilding an orphanage in Haiti. The three-time Tour champion, who joins the One Child Foundation and singer Huecco in the initiative, wore the carbon watch by Christian Lay during Stage 20 as well as during the podium awards ceremony on the Champs-Élysées.
In cooperation with Christian Lay, the watch will be given away in a drawing. If you live in Spain and you’d like a chance to win it, see the instructions at the OFFICIAL WEBSITE before August 31. This opportunity is available in Spain only.
PHOTO DAYBOOK
Tour!
Schleck and Contador surprise the pundits in Tour Stage 19 (AP photo)
GO TO PHOTO DAYBOOK
IN THE PRESS
August 31 - Don't lose track
Keep up with our immense media file at IN THE PRESS
UCI WORLD RANKING
August 30
Alberto Contador maintains 1st place among individual riders.
GO TO PALMARÈS
GOOD READ
August 28 - Food for thought at the Podium Cafe
Cogitating on the personnel switch at Saxo and its effect on the Alberto - Andy rivalry? Read and comment: SCHLECK NEEDS TIME TO SETTLE
CONTADOR'S TRAINER SAXO-BOUND
August 25 - Pepe Martí will quit Astana to be personal trainer to the best cyclist in the world next year
SUPERDEPORTE.ES - The powerful “land-rover” Benjamin Noval and the climbers Jesús Hernández and Daniel Navarro have been Bjarne Riis’ first gifts to Alberto Contador after his recent signing with the Saxo Bank team, but the rider from Pinto isn’t satisfied with that.
Next year, he’ll count again on his trusted trainer, the Valencian Pepe Martí.
Photo: Pepe Martí (hatless) with Noval, De la Fuente and Navarro in training (Astana Cyling Team)
After logging successes starting in 2007 with physical preparation carried out with the trainer from Almàssera, the three-time Tour winner has managed to free Martí from Astana for next year so that he can serve as his personal trainer in 2011, either within the structure of Saxo Bank or alongside it.
And although they still have a meeting pending with Riis to study the final form of the team’s technical schematic, as of today the most likely situation is that Martí will focus only on Contador’s preparation, leaving open the option to work in conjunction with the team or the rest of the Saxo Bank trainers, if in the end he does not take charge of the training of the entire group.
Pepe Martí started working with Contador in 2007 on the Discovery team and has been with him in all his grand tour victories. But the Valencian’s link with cycling started more than a decade ago when he went from Porcelanatto to US Postal in 1999, moving from there to Discovery Channel and Astana, in order to keep working with the best rider in the world at that time, Lance Armstrong.
But Pepe Martí’s successes are not focused only on road racing, since he was also the trainer of one of Spain’s best athletes, Joan Llaneras, who has four Olympic medals in his palmarès, including two gold and two silver medals in track cycling.
His beginnings in the sport, nevertheless, weren’t on two wheels, since he started with athletics, then continued his career as a trainer in basketball, both with Arroz Dacsa Almàssera and the collegiate women’s national team.
At 40 years old and with more than a decade of experience in professional cycling, Pepe Martí on his own merit has become one of the right-hand men of Contador, who’s clear that things that aren’t broken don’t need fixing, and that he’s relying on one of the most prestigious trainers in the international peloton.
Martí’s continuation at the side of the best cyclist in the world means another stroke of authority for Contador in his new team.
CALENDAR
Upcoming events
September 5 - Criterium Bavikhove (Belgium)
September 11-12 - Specialized Days at La Pinilla
October 29 - World Stroke Day (World Stroke Campaign)
October 30 - II Criterium Ciclista Ciudad de Oviedo
TOUR DE FRANCE 2010: CHRISTINE'S REPORT
August 12 - updated EN FRANÇAIS - The hardest and most impressive cycling race in the world
Alberto at Pau (Photo by Kahane)
Christine Kahane reviews her encounters with Astana and Alberto in his quest for a third Tour in her latest column, in English and French, for The Fans' Notebook. With photos. Don't miss it!
"There were six teams staying at the same hotel and we read the following day in the daily local newspapar that it had been much too much for the hotel manager who had never in her life had so many special requests: extended meal hours, special diet for the riders, extra pots and pans for team cooks, a lot of extra towels and space for the soigneurs, enlarged parking area for six team buses, trucks and cars, etc."
"Alberto arrived first as always (when not in yellow and held up by podium ceremonies, anti doping controls, etc.) in the Contador car, together with Fran and Jacinto. He said “bonjour” in French to Roger, waved at me smiling, and rushed into the hotel where he had a date for an interview."
Read the rest in English
EN FRANÇAIS!
CONTADOR TO SAXO BANK-SUNGARD
August 4 - Alberto Contador will ride for Saxo Bank-SunGard Professional Cycling Team in 2011
Alberto Contador confirms today that he has made a commitment with Bjarne Riis and has signed an agreement with the Dane for the next two seasons, as announced earlier in a press conference by team officials.
After making the decision to leave the ranks of Astana, Alberto Contador has considered the offer by Riis’ organization the most solid and the surest bet for career success of all those on the table, a factor which has helped him reach a
decision without further delay.
The support of the principal sponsors of the team, Saxo Bank and SunGard, has also been a determining factor in Contador’s choice of this proposal, as has been that of Specialized, who have not hesitated to continue backing Alberto Contador as the undisputed leader of their brand in competition. (Official press release, AC press room)
Alberto Contador courra sous les couleurs de Saxo Bank-SunGard
Alberto Contador confirme qu’il s’est engagé avec Bjarne Riis, avec lequel il a signé un contrat pour les deux saisons à venir, comme cela vient d’être annoncé au cours de la Conférence de Presse tenue par des responsables de l’équipe.
Consécutivement à sa décision de ne pas rester dans l’équipe Astana, Alberto Contador a considéré l’offre de la structure de Riis comme étant la plus sérieuse et lui offrant les meilleures garanties sportives parmi celles qui s’offraient à lui. Il n’a pas eu besoin de réfléchir longtemps pour fixer son choix.
Le soutien des principaux sponsors de l’équipe, Saxo Bank et Sungard, a également été déterminant dans le choix de cette proposition, ainsi que celui de Specialized, qui n’a pas hésité à suivre Alberto Contador comme leader indiscutable de ses projets de compétition.
Alberto Contador se sent « particulièrement motivé envers ma nouvelle équipe. Je pense avoir choisi la meilleure option et j’ai confiance en Riis pour former une grande équipe en 2011. J’ai hâte d’entamer cette nouvelle aventure avec une équipe et des sponsors qui me font confiance et auxquels je tiens à démontrer qu’ils n’ont pas eu tort ».
ALBERTO'S SPECTACULAR TOUR DE FRANCE BOOK
July 30 - The story of Contador's 2010 Tour de France triumph continues
The salute of all salutes: Contador about to receive the maillot jaune (Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images)
Follow our living archive in the coming weeks as more stories from the Tour de France are added. Find international press, opinion, video, audio and links to fascinating resources.
GO TO TOUR DE FRANCE BOOK MEDIA
¡Que pasada! The complete chronicle of Contador's 2010 Tour de France
ALBERTO CONTADOR WINS THE 2010 TOUR DE FRANCE
Never stop celebrating
Three! (Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images)
Alberto Contador won the 2010 Tour de France on Sunday, July 25 in Paris after an epic three-week battle. It was his third career victory in the Tour, and his fifth grand tour victory, and he's done it all before his 28th birthday.
Hear the feature on National Public Radio from the USA:
CHRISTINE'S DIARY, TOUR DE FRANCE STAGE 20
July 25 - Christine gets some "family photos" of some of the people who helped make Alberto's victory possible
A champion needs family, friends and staff to win the Tour (Kahane)
Spirits were light at Longjumeau as Alberto and his team prepared to savor the final stage of the Tour de France. Here are the first of Christine's photos - more are on the way.
GO TO CHRISTINE'S PHOTO DAYBOOK
See Christine's reports from the earlier this season at the FAN'S NOTEBOOK
Hommage à Dani Navarro
Traduction française d’un article rédigé par J. Gómez Peña le 14 juillet 2010 pour El Correo.com
Lorsque le patron est ton ami
Dani Navarro roule aux côtés de Contador depuis qu’ils sont amateurs et est son meilleur domestique dans la montagne.
Hier (13 juillet), au milieu du col de la Madeleine, le dossard numéro 6 a secoué le Tour. Seulement deux coureurs furent capables de le suivre : Andy Schleck et Contador. Le dossard 6 sera-il le troisième du Tour ? Non. C’est Dani Navarro et son travail est tout différent: veiller sur son patron, son ami Contador.
Lire la suite - ALBERTO'S SPECTACULAR TOUR DE FRANCE BOOK
NOUVEAU!
RETROUVEZ ALBERTO EN FRANÇAIS!
Dans la langue de Molière : tout sur Alberto Contador au Tour de France 2010
Il a été, à 24 ans, l’un des plus jeunes vainqueurs du Tour de France en 2007. Seulement quatre coureurs espagnols avaient atteint une telle performance avant lui.
Et il a renouvelé cet exploit en 2009.
Visitez le ALBERTO'S SPECTACULAR TOUR DE FRANCE BOOK
Et aussi les rubriques PHOTO DAYBOOK, ATLAS
Allez!
MAPS AND PROFILES
Where is Gap? How high is the Tourmalet?
GO TO ATLAS for a close technical look at the stages from this year's Tour de France and Critérium du Dauphiné.
CONTADOR IN IMAGES
May 31 - Photos by Christine Kahane
Our exclusive exhibit of photos from Alberto's early season by Christine Kahane was assembled day by day last May.
Christine's unique perspective and loving touch bring a very special look into the world of Contador at the Algarve, Paris-Nice, Castilla y León and the Ardennes classics.
GO TO PHOTO DAYBOOK
SOUVENIR OF TOUR DE FRANCE 2010
Alberto Contador makes last-minute adjustments in the start house, Tour de France Stage 20
(Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images)
DISCLAIMER : albertocontadornotebook.info is compiled by Rebecca Bell. The aim is to celebrate the achievements of Alberto Contador. Responsibility for all content lies with Rebecca Bell. Information and photographs is gathered and reproduced in good faith from published sources (online and print). The editors’ decision is final. We always seek to credit photographs where possible. On occasion, the original source of photography may not be available. If we have used your photos, please contact and we’ll be pleased to credit your work.
French content by Christine Kahane. Web design by Nicky Orr and Modem Operandi. Masthead photo credits: (1) bbc.co.uk (2) Liz Kreutz, kreutzphotography.com.