www.albertocontadornotebook.info - Alberto Contador Fans Notebook
96th TOUR DE FRANCE, July 4-26, 2009
Articles, interviews, opinions
Alberto Contador glowed like the sun on the Champs Elysees (Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty Images)
CONTADOR IN THE HALLS OF POWER
July 31 - Presidential welcome for Alberto
The Prime Minister of Spain, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, received the new Tour de France champion, Alberto Contador, on Wednesday at Moncloa Palace in Madrid. Zapatero confessed that Contador had “caused his pulse to race with excitement” in some of the stage finales.
“I was able to follow the ends of the stages on several days, and at certain moments the excitement quickened my pulse, and that’s not easy,” recounted Spain’s CEO, positioning the cyclist from Madrid as “one in the ever-lengthening list of Spanish athletes who triumph in all the competitions.”
“I’m fully convinced that the best of his career is just beginning. He has no rival, even though that’s bad for some. He has already proven it, and he’s going to prove it in the next Tour,” said Rodríguez Zapatero. “Like so many Spaniards, we feel proud of your successes. We’re convinced that you’re going to wear the maillot jaune many times,” he said in an accompanying press conference.
“We admire you, we support you, and we love you,” added the minister of Sport, who emphasized “the humility” of the two-time Tour champion. “I hope that he will keep working, and that he continues to behave as he has until now. Because victories are the fruit of work and determination,” he said.
Alberto Contador himself played down the euphoria that accompanies him wherever he goes, and assured that he still has “plenty of rivals, although sometimes it doesn’t seem like it.” “I hope that things go like they have so far, although it won’t be easy. We’ll see if I can visit this house a few more times,” said the Pinteño, who was also accompanied by the secretary of state for Sport, Jaime Lissavetzky.
“I want to thank the Prime Minister for this reception. I know that he’s also a great sportsman, although not on two wheels,” joked Contador, who acknowledged being “curious” about visiting the seat of the national government.
LISSAVETZKY FULL OF JOY
July 30 - Spanish minister on Contador's victory
Spain’s secretary of state for Sport, Jaime Lissavetzky, told Spanish news service EFE last Sunday that Alberto Contador “has won a most difficult Tour due to the special circumstances he faced,” and indicated that this victory “begins the Era of Contador.”
The chief of sport in Spain said that the president of the national government, José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, congratulated Contador via telephone at the foot the podium in the Champs Élysées.
“I feel enormous joy because Contador has won a most difficult Tour, which was his second and made history, and begins the Era of Contador,” stated Lissavetzky.
“I’ve spoken with various people, with the director of the Tour (Christian Prudhomme) and with some cyclists, and they all say that he has been noble.”
“He fought under conditions that were not suited to confronting a race like this. Therefore I feel enormous satisfaction. It’s not only a question of legs, it’s also about the head, and Contador was a true champion,” he said.
“He knew how to conquer a difficult situation.” (EFE)
TEAM RADIO-SCHLECK A NO GO
July 30 - Schleck brothers' agent refutes transfer rumor
Frank and Andy Schleck’s agent has stated that there is no contact to further a deal between the brothers and Team RadioShack, the new team being formed by Lance Armstrong.
Giovanni Lombardi, the former CSC rider who now serves as personal agent to the brothers, attributed the rumors of a possible deal to a strategy of the Texan’s for upsetting Alberto Contador.
“There’s no chance of that happening. I’ve had no contact with Bruyneel. It’s only a strategy to make Contador lose next year,” said Lombardi to the French sports daily L’Equipe.
Lombardi’s statement quashed rumors that Andy Schleck, who finished second in the Tour last Sunday, was going to sign with Armstrong’s team.
“Andy has clearly seen everything that Alberto Contador went through at the Tour this year, and nobody can imagine that he’s going to get involved in that, with the ambitions he has for next year,” said Lombardi.
The brothers’ agent indicated that they will fulfill the one year they have remaining on their contracts with Saxo Bank.
(Photo: Reuters)
L'EQUIPE: MORE FOR CONTADOR AT ASTANA?
July 28 - RadioShackers decamp, Vino returns
According to the French daily paper L’Equipe, Alexander Vinokourov has contacted Alberto Contador to propose an extension of contract, and will make him its top gun.
The Astana Cycling Team has made an offer to Alberto Contador, winner of the Tour de France, to extend his contract by two or three more years, and promises to build a team in which he will be the leader, according to the French publication L’Equipe.
According to the sports daily, Alexander Vinokourov himself contacted Contador to propose that he stay with the team. The Kazakh gave assurances that he will be the Spaniard’s lieutentant in the next Tour de France.
Contador still has one year remaining on his contract with Astana. He stated after his triumph on Sunday that next year he would ride the Tour with a team that considered him leader, since this year he did not feel that he had the endorsement of the Kazakh team, which was more in favor of Lance Armstrong.
Vinokourov initated the creation of Astana, and headed it for its first two years. The team is financed in large part by the Kazakhstani government. Vinokourov made it known before the beginning of the Tour that he intended to return to cycling under the banner of the team sponsored by his country, after serving a two-year sanction for doping in the 2007 Tour.
The manager of the team, Belgian Johan Bruyneel, announced that he would not continue with Astana next season. Nevertheless, according to L’Equipe, last Sunday he committed to fulfill his contract until the end of the season, and to include Vinokourov, whom he wants to ride the Vuelta a España in Astana colors.
The paper indicated that Astana would give Contador the green light in order to form a team for next year’s edition of the Tour de France. In particular, the Kazakh team would have to replace the riders who have announced that they will move to Armstrong’s new team, RadioShack, namely, Yaroslav Popovych, Andreas Klöden, Gregory Rast and Haimar Zubeldia. It is likely that Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner will also soon follow.* (EFE)
*This consitutes the entire 2009 Tour de France team, minus Contador, his loyal domestique Sergio Paulinho, and Kazakh rider Dimitriy Muravyev. --ed.
PINTO HOMECOMING
July 27 - Pinto turns upside down to welcome home Contador
Thousands of Pinto citizens gather at City Hall for a spirited reception as Alberto arrives home from his second Tour win
WINNER'S PRESS CONFERENCE
July 25 - Contador calls it quits with Armstrong
Alberto Contador stated that next year he will ride with a “different team from Lance Armstrong” and said that he will take time to decide whether to form a team around himself or to go to an organization already in place that will help him win the Tour de France again.
“There’s going to be a whirlwind of activity as we figure out what to do next year. What I’m quite sure about is that I will not be on a team with Lance Armstrong. I’ve got to consider whether to form a team built around myself, or go to an already existing team that will help me to be here fighting for this race again,” said the virtual winner of the 2009 Tour de France.
“When you win, you like it when the people who finished behind you are good riders with big names. The photo tomorrow in Paris will be historic,” commented Alberto, smiling.
Contador, who acknowledged the problems of coexisting with Lance Armstrong, unequivocally assured the incompatibility with the Texan when the time came to share leadership of the team, since the two had a common goal: victory.
“I knew that Lance wanted a chance at the general, but if we both wanted to win…this wasn’t compatible. I knew that he would be my rival. I prepared well because I knew that the situation would be difficult, and I wasn’t concerned with Lance’s form. Who did Johan Bruyneel want to win? Good question. Johan wanted for the Tour to be won by one rider or the other, but it’s a question that you’d have to ask him,” said Contador.
Disagreements
The Madrilenian cyclist acknowledged for the first time the disagreements with the Texan within the heart of the Astana team.
“It was a very difficult Tour, something that I knew before coming and something that I had to be prepared for, physically and mentally, and that’s just how it’s been. I thought after every stage that it was one day less, and in the end things got better. There was real tension, but I want to forget the moments that weren’t good,” he said.
The two-time Tour de France winner, who said that he feels happy to get a victory that he worked for all year, and during which he couldn’t enjoy the “surprise factor” since he was the number one favorite, didn’t escape the doping questions, in particular about statements by Greg Lemond, triple winner of the Tour, who insisted that Contador should prove if he had doped in competition.
“Those statements haven’t affected me, and I don’t feel a need to attach much importance to them. I make myself available all year to all the antidoping agencies, I’ve been ready to do controls whenever I’m asked, and I’ve done it gladly, for the good of cycling, among other things. I’m clearly in favor of the controls,” he commented.
About the difference between his victory in 2007 and this one in 2009, he said: “Both victories were very difficult. In 2007, I was a little worried about the final time trial, this year I had more gap, more advantage. This year was a combination of the physical and mental, in 2007 it was only physical. Did it cost me more? I couldn’t say.”
Difficulties
Nevertheless, he does admit that there have been certain difficulties in this edition of the Tour since before the departure in Monaco.
“The situation before the Tour was further complicated by adverse circumstances, and because they wouldn’t rely on you.
“It wasn’t a blow to morale, but it did motivate me to fight to be here giving this press conference today,” Contador said.
With respect to his future, Contador made two things clear: that there will be some change, and that he will not follow Lance Armstrong.
“What’s clear is that from now on, there’s going to be a whirlwind of activity as we figure out what my future will be. It’ll be a different project from Lance Armstrong’s. We’ll look for the smartest move, either a project of our own or a team that will throw itself wholeheartedly behind me to win this race again,” he said.
Contador regretted the fact that his teammates at Astana will have to separate. Some of them will go with Armstrong to RadioShack, others will be able to go with the winner of the Tour.
“This past year, I didn’t make a change from Astana. I decided to stay because I had a contract and there was no other possibility. It was yes or yes. This is a very powerful grand tour team, it’s a shame that we’re breaking up. I don’t know if we’re breaking up completely, but I hope that a lot of us stay together. I couldn’t change because I had a contract,” he explained.
The cyclist from Pinto made it clear that his current teammate Lance Armstrong will be a rival in upcoming editions of the Tour.
“Next year Lance Armstrong will play a good role in the Tour and will be a candidate for the general. There’s no doubt that he’ll be a very tough rival,” he said.
Contador wasn’t concerned with the possibility of breaking records, like the five wins by Induráin, or the seven by Armstrong.
“Records don’t worry me, and I don’t think about it. Things are going well - at 26 years old, I’m getting results. But above all, I want to enjoy every year on the bicycle.”
“I could do classics, the Giro, the Vuelta…but the Tour will be the goal, without totally giving up other races,” said Contador, who singled out “the day at Ordino Arcalís” as the most complicated of the whole Tour, the day of his first attack and authoritative blow.
About the rider placed second overall, Andy Schleck, Contador mentioned the toughness of his Saxo Bank rival.
“Andy Schleck made me suffer. He didn’t make mistakes in the race, but he lost time in the individual time trial. In Monaco there were big margins on a short route. He rode intelligently and he’s been really courageous,” said Contador.
SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED
Alberto Contador wins the 2009 Tour de France
Alberto in Paris, wrapped in his national colors (Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images)
July 26, 2009 - Today Alberto Contador was proclaimed winner of the 2009 Tour de France.
Contador achieved his second triumph in Paris after a spectacular race, during which he won two stages, the climb to Verbier and the individual time trial at Annecy. In so doing, Contador has proven himself the strongest and most complete rider in the peloton, finishing on the Champs Élysées on the top step of a distinguished podium, with Andy Schleck, 2nd, and his teammate Lance Armstrong, 3rd.
This great victory confirms Contador as the best grand tour rider of his generation. Beginnng with his triumph in 2007, he has won every grand tour he has disputed, a grand total of four consecutive grand tour wins: Tour de France 2007, Giro d’Italia 2008, Vuelta a España 2008, and now, Tour de France 2009.
With today’s victory, Alberto Contador has fulfilled a faultless trajectory in the 2009 season. An overall victory plus an ITT stage win in the Volta ao Algarve began the year, and was followed by two stage wins and a second place spot on the final podium next to his teammate, winner Levi Leipheimer. An unforgettable performance in Paris-Nice then led to two more stage wins and a fourth place overall.
Contador concluded the first part of his 2009 season with another triumph, this time at the Vuelta al País Vasco, where he captured the title for the second year in a row, also winning two stages. Before taking the start at the Tour de France, he completed his preparation with a third place finish in the Dauphiné Libéré and victory in the Spanish National Time Trial Championship.
“My thanks, after this victory, go to the people who have supported me. And to all those who have encouraged all the riders in the Tour.
"At a personal level, this Tour was difficult, and I relish this victory. I’m very happy. Today was an enormous day, unbelievable. The champaigne was good! In some ways, I feel like I'm a child again.
"Today was like being liberated from tension. Next year will be a different Tour, without the complications of this one.”
Receptions in Madrid and Pinto
Alberto Contador will travel from Paris to Madrid at midday on Monday, July 27 via Air France, leaving at 12:35, and is scheduled to arrive at Barajas Airport at around 2:30 that afternoon.
Contador will be available at 5:00 PM for a press conference to be held at the government headquarters of the Community of Madrid, in the Puerta del Sol. He will then attend an official reception hosted by the president of Madrid, Esperanza Aguirre.
Later that evening, Alberto Contador will be welcomed home to Pinto, where a cavalcade of supporters on bicycles will escort him in procession through the main streets of the city to a reception at the City Hall at around 7:30 PM.
ALL MADRID TO PARIS ON SUNDAY
July 20, 2009
Esperanza Aguirre, the president of greater Madrid, said yesterday that she believes Alberto Contador will win the Tour de France.
The president spoke to a gathering in Fresnedilla de la Oliva, where she was attending a celebration of the first arrival of men on the moon, 40 years ago.
“Yesterday was a great day for Madrid, and for all the people of Madrid…Alberto Contador has been proclaimed winner of the first mountain stage of the Tour de France,” she announced.
Aguirre telephoned Contador after his victory at Verbier and told him that all the people of Madrid would be with him on Sunday in the Champs-Élysées in Paris, either in person or with the help of the tele.
“Sunday all the people of Madrid, in person or via television, will be in the Champs-Élysées to congratulate Alberto for this extraordinary feat, that of yesterday, in which he took a minute and a half from (Neil) Armstrong,” she concluded. (Europa Press)
REST DAY 2: PRESS CONFERENCE
Monday, July 20, 2009
Contador says goodbye to the Schleck brothers, Stage 15 (Pascal Pavani/AFP/Getty Images)
In comments to the press today, on the second rest day of the 2009 Tour de France, Alberto Contador stated confidently that his victory at the top of Verbier has earned him the maillot jaune and the indisputable leadership of the Astana team in the Tour. He also said that his margin over his rivals is greater than he expected.
“With the gap that I had yesterday, I’m resting easier, it was a key day. I expected that gaps might open up, but they were big, bigger than I had imagined, so I’m sleeping easier,” he said. Contador, who has an advantage of 1:37 over Lance Armstrong of the USA, said that the time gaps achieved at Verbier allowed him “to be calmer and not as aggressive as I have been up to this point,” also indicating that “with an even bigger gap, I’d sleep easier.”
“If we get an opportunity to get more distance on our rivals, we will take advantage of it,” he said. Although he pointed to Andy Schleck of Luxembourg as the strongest of his rivals, he also said that, taken as a group, his opponents could make trouble if they were to combine forces to attack. “One way or another, more freedom creates more problems for you.”
He cautioned in particular about Bradley Wiggins of Britain, a specialist against the clock who defended well in the mountains and who’s in third, 1:46 behind the leader. “I’ll have to try to get more of a margin coming up to the time trial at Annecy,” he said. Contador said that all of the remaining stages are hard, and that the finish at La Grand-Bornand on Wednesday is the most dangerous.
Contador admits that it’s possible to have a bad day, like the one that happened at Paris-Nice. “If that happens in the Tour, everybody’s going to jump on the chance to attack me. It’s up to me to try to do it all well, overlooking nothing, so that the bad day that all the rivals are waiting for never comes,” he said.
Contador is counting on the support of Lance Armstrong, considered until now his principal rival in the race, and said that he believes in the professionalism of the rest of his teammates at Astana. “After the situation that happened yesterday—the results of the stage—things have all been made pretty clear, and there’s much less controversy,” said the cyclist, who also said that that relationship will have a noticeable impact on the atmosphere within the team, and in the race.
Contador said that he came to the Tour prepared for an internal rivalry with Armstrong, and that helped him mentally prepare to deal with the situation. “I knew that it was going to be a difficult Tour on and off the road. It was clear from before we got here, and that did a lot to make it easier. I expected a lot of tension and a lot of psychological pressure,” he said.
The Madrileño is emotionally on an even keel about having been the first to defeat Armstrong, winner of seven Tours, and assures that, even though the Texan was one of his idols as a boy, he’s not getting carried away with self-congratulations. “I never imagined riding against him. When he retired he wasn’t expected to come back. Now, Armstrong is the way he is, and I’m different. My goal in the coming years will be to win the Tour as many times as I can, but I haven’t fixed on a number. I don’t know if I’ll win as many as he did,” he said.
He sees himself at the forefront of a new generation of cyclists, others of whom occupied the top places in the stage at Verbier. “Now I’m the leader, I’m a little ahead of them, but they will be my rivals, beginning in this Tour and on into the future.”
ZUBELDIA BETS ON CONTADOR
July 18 - Contador's Basque teammate comments
In recent remarks to the press, Haimar Zubeldia put his money on Alberto Contador to be in the lead at Astana. Zubeldia sees Contador as stronger than Lance Armstrong.
“I think that Alberto is stronger, especially in the mountains, and if I had to bet, it would be on him. At any rate, I’m working for the team and for whoever is better. They signed me to be with Alberto, but it’s an honor to help either of the leaders,” he said.
“For us, the Tour is going very nicely. The bosses are in front and have options. The road will say who is stronger,” he indicated.
The Basque cyclist warned that, in spite of the bounty of Astana riders in the top ten in the general, complicated days could be on the way.
“After the team time trial, our leaders were very well-positioned and I saw them as strong, but this week and the next are left, and you have to have respect. We know that there’ll be attacks, we’re waiting for them,” he commented.
About the comfortable pace of the race in recent stages, Zubeldia said, “The pace makes the race. Armstrong has improved since the Giro, but Alberto has prepared very well for the Tour and I see him as doing very well.” (MARCA)
REST DAY INTERVIEW
July 13, 2009 - Limoges
Alberto Contador held a mass press conference today in which he responded calmly to all questions posed, especially to those in reference to his relationship with Lance Armstrong. The leader of Astana played down the situation at the heart of the team and affirmed that, as far as he was concerned, “no tension exists.” Contador awaits the Alps and says that it’s “others that have to attack.”
Armstrong said that your attack at Arcalís wasn’t part of the team’s plan but that he expected it. What’s your opinion?
That morning we talked at the team meeting on the bus about controlling the race, but waiting for attacks from rivals, which never materialized. The situation was pretty good, I thought I would be able to get benefits for myself and the team, and of course, talking on the bus is one thing, and situations in the race are another. I attacked because I saw clearly that it was beneficial for the team.
Armstrong’s words after the stage took on a critical tone towards you. What’s your opinion?
I’m pretty calm because it was for the good of the team.
Do you think that you’re the leader of the team, or are things a bit different than what’s been said?
If I were the leader of the team, then obviously there wouldn’t be this controversy over what happened at Arcalis. I also know that they’re keeping all their options open, so I don’t attach much significance to it. It’s a topic that’s already been gone over too much.
How’s your relationship after everything that’s been said?
It’s a normal situation and my relationship with Lance is like with any other rider. We eat and have dinner at the same table, and on the bus it’s the same, no problems. Often the tension from the outside seems greater than from within the team.
Is this sitation influencing you?
The situation would be better if there were no room for questions like these, because that would mean that I was in a normal situation. It’s not like that, but in spite of that, I’m pretty calm, concentrated on the race and there isn’t anything that throws me off. The Tour is a really exhausting race and you can’t use up energy on anything else.
Is this controversy debilitating to your fight for victory?
The situation could be simpler, so I could just think about pedalling, but I’m trying not to let it affect my performance and my main goal is to isolate myself from all of it.
Which stage will be good for attacking?
It’s a little like at Arcalís, where other people who’ve lost time will have to attack. I don’t have to do it, other people do.
In the case of you being ahead in the last week, will they respect you?
What do you want me to say to that? We’ll have to wait and see. I think that whatever is most beneficial to the team is what will be done, and it will depend on the race situation.
How will the last week go, and which will be more decisive, the Alps, the time trial or Mont Ventoux?
The general will have to become pretty clear in the Alps. Even by the stage at Colmar, but mainly at Verbier and after the Grand Bornand and the Columbiere. And that still leaves two key stages.
Who is your principal adversary?
The most dangerous ones are the Schleck brothers, and Andy looks pretty good, very focused on the race. Another one that will be there for sure is Evans, because at Ordino (Arcalís) he was the only one to attack and, of course, Sastre, because of his great experience. In the Pyrenees he was at the maximum and, since he’s an endurance rider, he’ll also be there in the Alps.
How many Astana riders are for you and how many are for Armstrong? Which teams can you count on?
The riders on my team are very professional and are working for everybody. There’s no problem of any sort and I completely trust them all. As for the peloton, there are always similar riders that can lend a hand, but the important thing is that the team is fully behind me.
Do you need help to win the Tour?
Of course I need help. You can’t win the Tour alone.
Have you seen a rival who’s stronger than you in this first week?
Considering what’s happened so far in the race, I haven’t been able to evaluate my rivals’ state of form. Although it seems like a lot of the Tour has already happened, the general still bears the stamp of the team time trial, and that’s deceiving. There haven’t been any stages to measure if there’s anybody stronger.
Armstrong said yesterday that there’s a little tension in the team. Do you feel alone?
I’ve seen his statements, but for my part there’s no tension at all. I’m very relaxed.
Do you feel alone? Does your main opposition come from within Astana?
I absolutely do not feel alone, because I’ve got people all around me who fully support me in this Tour and who are very important in their own right. On my team there are riders with a lot of options and who are clearly candidates, but I’m not thinking about that. There’s a lot of Tour left, in any case, it’s better that the victory stay in the team than go anywhere else.
How will things stand if Armstrong attacks in the mountains? Will you go after him or not?
If Armstrong attacks, I’m not going to go after him, that will have to come from others.
With all these questions, do you feel happy at this Tour?
Yes, this is a happy Tour, because physically I feel very good. The Tour is the Tour and the atmosphere isn’t as bad as people think. In other races it’s been better, but all in all I’m very happy at the Tour.
There’s news today about an offer by Fernando Alonso to put together a team. What’s in your future?
In the next two weeks I’m only concentrating on the race. After that, we’ll have to see what’s going to happen in the future. But this is only a rumor, I still have a year left on my contract.
In other grand tours that you’ve won, you were the only leader. How do you deal with this situation?
I’m dealing with it in a pretty normal way, because I knew that this would be the situation, despite what’s been said. In a sporting sense, it doesn’t affect me at all. (AC press room)
ARMSTRONG SAYS IT HIMSELF
"Alberto showed he's the best rider in the race"
July 10 - Frankie Andreu interviewed Lance Armstrong on camera immediately after Alberto Contador’s victory at Verbier. Here are Armstrong’s first words to the public after the stage.
Very fast at the beginning of the climb, Contador went once and you went after him, and the second time he went, what were your thoughts there?
Armstrong: Well, Saxo set tempo from the bottom. They were going all out, and I think we were all a little bit on the ropes. And then a few attacks here and there, tried to go with a couple, and when Alberto went, he showed he’s the best rider in the race, certainly the best climber.
You know, when everybody’s on the limit and then you can accelerate again…I’ve been there, and that’s how you win the Tour. And so hat’s off to him. And also hats off to the Schleck brothers. They rode good, too.
Are you surprised with your performance, and if you had to grade yourself, what would you give? Or did you think that maybe today would’ve turned out better for you?
Armstrong: Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect. It’s been so long since we had a finish like this. This was as hard as I thought as it was going to be, and this was a lot harder than Andorra. It’s been four years since we did something like that, so going in, I was unsure. I felt good leading up to it, but that high and stuff, as I said this morning, I might be missing, and…I give myself a B-minus, I guess.
Do you think your chances for winning the Tour now are over?
Armstrong: Um…yeah. It’ll be hard. I mean, a day like this really shows who’s the best, and you know, I wasn’t on par with what’s required to win the Tour. So for me, that’s the reality, that’s not devastating news or anything.
But are you disappointed that now you’re not going to have the chance to win the Tour? Or happy with Alberto Contador, and of course, Team Astana?
Armstrong: All of the above. I think we’ve still got three strong cards to play. If the other teams want to mess with us and play tactical games, we’ve still got myself and Andreas. We’ll have to look at the overall and how that’s situated tonight. But as a team, we’re strong.
And there’s been a lot of drama between Alberto and I, especially in the media, but at the end of the day, we all sit around the table, and sit around the team meeting, and say the last thing we can do is lose the Tour. So, hey, we ride into Paris with the yellow jersey on the team—I’m cool with that. I got seven of them at home.
Well, it should be a little more comfortable around the dinner table now.
Armstrong: Yeah. Yeah. Oh, yes.
TOUR DE FRANCE PRE-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE
June 3 - Contador makes a must appearance
Contador simmers (Pascal Pavani/AFP/Getty Images)
Alberto Contador paid his dues to the press corps today prior to the start of the Tour de France, attending the kickoff press conference with team director Johan Bruyneel. Astana’s lead rider responded to questions from journalists, who nevertheless showed more interest in Bruyneel’s opinion on Astana’s hottest topic: who’s the leader and who it will be in the future.
Alberto, for his part, kept his cool amid the controversy and assured that he is not tense due to the double pressure of being top favorite for the victory and of sharing a team with Lance Armstrong.
“It’s a fairly easy situation to manage and I’m taking it pretty well. Since it had been said that Lance was coming to the team and I knew that this was going to happen, I’ve taken it calmly: the pressure motivates me more and is an more of an incentive for racing.”
Alberto admitted that there’s a world of difference between his situation in 2007—when at first he was not a favorite for the victory—and in his situation now. “The situation is completely different. In 2007 I was thinking about winning the white jersey for Best Young Rider, and this year everything has changed.
"I’m seen as the winning ticket, and it’s too centered on Lance and me as the main players. In 2007, I wasn’t as qualified and the surprise factor was in my favor. Now I’m a more solid rider, but I can’t count on surprise.”
Asked whether he agrees with Andy Schleck that the race will be decided in the mountains, Contador pointed out that the Tour “doesn’t have much of either mountains or time-trialing. The mountains will be very important, sure, but about whether you’d call this is a Tour for climbers, I’d say no. It’s balanced, because there are neither tough finishes like there were in 2007, nor too much time-trialing.”
In speaking about what he really thought about Bruyneel and Armstrong and the collapse at Paris-Nice, Alberto was conciliatory. “That’s something that I didn’t give much signifance to. Then and now, I’m centered on the competition and didn’t give much credence to those comments.”
Then, he assured that he still has faith in Bruyneel as director. “Of course I do. This is the third year that we’ve worked on the same team, and if it wasn’t like that, the situation would be pretty complicated.”
And finally, Alberto Contador explained that he doesn’t feel uncomfortable being on a team with a director like Bruyneel and a teammate like Armstrong, who are always in the limelight. On the contrary. “It’s a normal sitaution, owing to the media impact of Armstrong, there’s nothing strange about it. It allows me to have more peace and more time to rest and recuperate. Some people think the race has already started, but I, on the other hand, am not starting until tomorrow.”
He ended his obligatory appearance by talking about the opening time trial. “Tomorrow it might be possible to get some time, and you have to take advantage of the stage, but I need to avoid taking too many risks, because I’ve got nothing to prove,” concluded Alberto Contador confidently. (AC press room)
Contador shines (Pascal Pavani/AFP/Getty Images)
CONTADOR IS BATTLE-READY
July 1 - Interview by Sergi Lopez-Egea
06/28/09 - Alberto Contador’s voice is still hoarse, as if exitement over the Tour were bringing on a case of laryngitis before the start in Monaco next Saturday. He doesn’t want to accept the role of main favorite, and hopes that Johan Bruyneel, manager of his team, Astana, knows how to keep order in the troops, because he’s riding on the same team with Lance Armstrong, who in his return to Le Grand Boucle may be a rival under the same flag.
I suppose that, with less than a week before the Tour starts, you really want to get back on the bike.
So true. I’ve got high hopes for the beginning of the tour, because last year I didn’t get to go and that really gave me the itch, more and more, and put me in the right frame of mind to prepare conscientiously. Yes. I would like it if today were the 4th of July and to be able to be on the bicycle in the time trial at Monaco, which, certainly, I like a lot: I studied it about a month ago. Yes. I like it. I think that I’ll be able to start off on the right foot in the Tour.
There’s an impression that the uneven years—at least at the Tour—are yours. 2007, triumph in Paris, and now 2009.
I planned to debut in 2004 but experienced an accident in the Vuelta a Asturias, a seizure, health problems…In 2005, I finally got to know the race, although it was minus the eagerness to fight for the general. It served to expose me to the race. In 2006 they didn’t let my team participate due to Operacion Puerto. The next year I was victorious. Last year they refused to invite Astana. And now, I’m back. That’s why I’ve got such hopes.
What do you like best about this Tour?
Without a doubt, what I like best is seeing myself so motivated now. I’m conscious of being thoroughly well-prepared. I like the time trials, they’re a good fit for a climber like me. Plus they’ve reduced the number of kilometers overall in stages like that. That’s another benefit for a climber like me.
Then, a day before Paris, they’ve programmed a stage that ends at the top of Mont Ventoux.
It’s going to be a super-decisive day’s work and very tough. Besides that, the Ventoux is a summit where you can control your rivals. The climb isn’t kind to a cyclist advancing alone, because in the final part, where the vegetation stops, it’s always really windy. It’ll be far better to tackle the summit with differences already in your favor.
The last three Tours have had victories by Spaniards. Is this Tour de France destined to become a Spanish dogfight?
Spanish cycling is at a great level. It’s something that nobody can question. I already know what it means to win, so does Carlos Sastre. I don’t doubt that the Spanish riders are going to play a central and very important role.
There also might be a lot of surprises, eh?
In the Tour there’s always some rider who blows the lid off everything. The benefit of surprise exists, a breakaway is allowed…That’s why you’ve got to take a very strong team and not get caught daydreaming.
Astana, your team, is without doubt the strongest. Maybe too many leaders on one side? For example, Lance Armstrong?
Taking a powerful team is never bad. We’ll have to wait and see how it the race develops on French soil. But I know that the manager of the team, Johan Bruyneel, will have enough experience to control the team.
Are you the main favorite?
No way. Other people have options, too. It’s a mistake to consider yourself the sole candidate in a race like the Tour. There are 21 days of competition and things always happen.
Certainly, apart from you and the Schleck brothers, the rest of the favorites are over 30. In the Giro it was the same. Is cycling aging?
I don’t think so. It happens that there’s a generation of very good cyclists over 30 who are still active, and still some younger ones who haven’t finished developing, like Andy Schleck or Luis León Sánchez. But in order to win the Tour, age and experience are vital. It’s very difficult for a cyclist under 25 to win in Paris.
You did it.
I know, and that’s why I’m aware of the difficulty that’s involved in winning again. But I believe in it, because I know that, in it, I have an opportunity. It’s a hope, although people have to know that I’ve got my feet firmly planted on the ground. This is the reason that I’ve gotten to be wise and to say that I only want to be in the fight for the victory.
Do you have the feeling that Spanish cycling stars are more valued in foreign countries than here?
I feel recognized in Spain. When I get a big victory, people come up to me, although for the last four months, it’s harder for them. Spanish cyclists now are definitely not superstars. None of us can compare with Miguel Induráin. Now, as opposed to the era when he was an active cyclist, society has more sports to amuse itself with, and all of them with Spaniards at the highest level: Nadal, Lorenzo, the national football team, basketball players…There’s a huge amount of sport available. It’s natural that people’s interests are divided.
BON VOYAGE, ALBERTO!
June 30 - Contador sets sail for France
Astana is planning one final training mission before the Tour de France, to look over the Stage 4 team time trial course at Montpellier. After that, the riders will transfer to Monaco, where they’ll be looking forward to the departure of the Tour next Saturday, the 4th of July.
Alberto Contador begins the adventure with hope and optimism. Having won the Spanish Time Trial Championship last Friday is a sure sign that Contador is ready and able to tackle Tour de France 2009.
Have you been able to prepare for the Tour just as you wanted?
Yes, the truth is that I did the preparation that I believed was most suitable for the Tour. I haven’t had any bad luck and I hope to stay on target.
What are you looking for in this last reconnaissance?
The team time trial will the on the fourth day of the race, and it’s a key stage for the men in contention for the overall. We’re going to see it before traveling to Monaco.
Has your Spanish Championship victory had an influence on you?
It hasn’t influenced me too much, but it’s been good for morale. It’s something to be proud of, winning the Spanish Championship, because I’ll be wearing the jersey in all the time trials I ride for the next year. Winning or losing was all the same; my idea was to do one last test in advance of the Tour and, if I won, it would be a moral victory.
What do you think about Saturday’s time trial? Do you like the route?
It’s better than the ones in other years, which were completely flat. The route’s not too bad for me, and the goal is to be able to lose the least amount of time possible to the guys going for the general and, if possible, to gain some time. In this Tour, the differences will be small, and any seconds in the bag now will come in handy at the end.
How do you feel as the beginning of the Tour approaches? Is it special to you because you’ve been gone since 2007?
Of course it’s something special, not because of 2007, but because it’s the best race in the world, the one that changed my life, and because I’ve prepared for it all year, apart from the fact that I didn’t do it last year.
What do you like and what do you miss in this route?
I miss a more decisive summit in the first or second week than what we’ve got here, something like the Aubisque or Plateau de Beille when I won in 2007. On the other hand, I like the initial time trial, it’s more kilometers, which is a relatively good distance for me. I also like it that the third week is the hardest, with the recuperation factor influencing each stage—that gives me an edge.
Has the pressure of being considered one of the main favorites affected you?
Everybody expects you to win, but I’m aware that that’s very difficult. I’m going to try everything in my power, but I’m aware that it’s difficult. There’s a group of riders with options over and above the rest and I’m there, no better or worse than the others. But the Tour is 21 days long and there are a number of factors in play: crashes, various situations…I’m one favorite, and so are other guys. (AC press room)
ASTANA ROSTER POLEMICS
June 29 - Benjamin Noval's comments on not making the Tour squad
Contador and Noval greet fans in Missouri (photo by Rebble Kelsey)
Contador will go to the Tour without bodyguard
06/26/09 - Benjamin Noval became an essential rider to Alberto Contador when he made his first conquest in the Tour in 2007. Since then, the Asturian has assumed the position of right-hand man wherever the climber from Pinto has participated. Last year he helped him win the *Giro and the Vuelta a España, and since the first of this season they’ve told him that they’re counting on him for the Tour.
Powerful rolleur, bodyguard deluxe at crucial moments, Contador’s “shadow” has carried out the same plan as his team leader. That leader has always counted on Noval, until yesterday Johan Bruyneel told him that the Asturian will not be along for the trip to the most important race in the world.
“For the good of the group, I’m not taking you.” This was the only explanation that Bruyneel gave Noval for drawing up a team consisting of Contador, Armstrong, Leipheimer, Popovych, Zubeldia, Sergio Paulinho, Dmitriy Muravyev, and the Swiss rider Gregory Rast, who has displaced the Asturian.
“Now I’m having an anxiety attack, because the only explanation that I’ve received isn’t convincing, nor is it based on sporting reasons,” explained the rider who, after months of preparation has seen his work ruined.
“My morale has hit rock bottom, because I sincerely believe that Alberto needs me. My work is to protect him, to prevent crashes. Now he’s left with only Paulinho, whom he also trusts.”
Noval understands that the team is committed to Kazakhstan and needs to include a rider from that country (Muravyev) in the “eight” bound for the Tour. He’s also aware that Bruyneel had a tiff with Lance Armstrong because the latter wanted to insist on including a third American and special helper of his, Chris Horner. Bruyneel did not consent and, feeling duty-bound to the prinicple of fairness, threw out Noval. “I want a more international team,” he said.
But the Asturian, who has both roomed with Contador on the road and joined him in training camps in the Pyrenees and Alps, knows that a three week race is very long time for a rider who is battling for the overall victory.
“I’m a nervous wreck, because I see that they’re not treating Alberto like the great rider he is. They don’t value him as a Tour winner, because the least they can do is ask him what he needs. I know that he’s very hurt, but what he must do now is forget all about it and concentrate on winning the Tour. It’s the best thing he can do. (Agustí Bernaus, sport.es)
*Due to illness, Noval did not ride the 2008 Giro. -ed.
ALBERTO READY TO SCALP THE ALPS
June 1 - Contador continues Tour preparation
Alberto training for the Tour last week at Petit-Saint-Bernard (Dauphiné Libéré race website)
Alberto Contador returned last Friday from a five-day study trip to the Alps, where he dissected four stages of the upcoming Tour de France.
This reconnaissance concludes three weeks of intensive training, beginning with a phase in the Pyrenees, followed by another in Almería, and finishing in the Alps prior to returning to competition in the Dauphiné Libéré, June 7-14. “I’m doing a lot of fundamental work, thinking about the Tour,” said the leader of Astana. “I’ve been giving myself a pretty good beating up, so next week I’ll take the opportunity to recover a little, because Sunday I start into competition again.”
Which stages did you look at this week?
The ones in the Alps. We started with the summit finish in Switzerland, at Verbier, which has never been done before in the Tour. It looks to me like a tough finish, but I don’t know to what extent it will allow differences among the favorites. I don’t know if it’s hard enough, although it’s not bad for me.
Then we looked at the climbs at Grand- and Petit-Saint-Bernard, a stage that comes in the third week, after the second rest day when people will be really tired. It’ll be a debilitating day’s work—even though it depends on how the general is going and whether some brave guys want to shake up the race—because the altitude will also be a factor and we’ll be thinking about the days that come next.
Contador, Noval and Paulinho stop to improvise snowshoes from plastic bags. 300 meters of road are still covered with snow. (Dauphiné Libéré race website)
We also went to what I consider the queen stage of this Tour, Le Grand-Bornand. While it’s not very long—only 169 km—it has five pretty tough climbs, starting with the Cormet de Roselend, which is climbed near the start, and ending with the Cols de Romme and the Colombière, which are two climbs in one. After that, it’s only 15 kilometers to the line. It’s also possible to make differences here.
Finally, we took a look at the last time trial, 40 km at Annecy. The route is pretty flat and there aren’t any complicated curves. The only feature that stands out is a three-kilometer hill at 25 km, after that the lay of the land is favorable. In spite of all that, it’ll be a difficult time trial, because the day before will have been the queen stage and our strength could be pretty sapped.
I didn’t go to Mont Ventoux because I’m already familiar with it, plus I’m just about to climb it in competition.
After reconnaissance, have you changed your mind about the 2009 Tour parcours?
No, I like it more or less the same as before I saw the stages. Maybe the summit finishes aren’t as strenuous as in other years, but the route is what it is, and you’ve got to adapt to it. If my legs respond, then it’s a good route.
Next week you’ll return to competition. What hopes do you have for your performance in the Dauphiné?
I hope that all these recon training trips let me feel at ease in the race, without suffering too much. In the Dauphiné, I want to hit competition rhythm, because this race is like a “mini Tour” that demands a concentrated effort, whether you ride to win or not. I’ll use it to check my form, but I will absolutely not dispute the general, because that involves a huge draining effort which I’d regret at Tour time, just as other riders have experienced.
How are you now? Is everything going as planned?
Yes, everything’s going well. It’s clear that I lack a bit of sparkle for not having raced, but mentally I’m very well, very focused and motivated. I think that the way I’m doing things is the best way to get to the Tour in shape.
How’s the current situation with the team and the questions about its future?
Astana’s in a delicate situation, but I have people to look after things for me. Now I want to keep working and to get ready for the Tour the best way possible. We have to wait and see what happens when the Giro’s over, but I’m very calm and I trust that the problem will be solved. (AC press room)
More photos of Contador's Tour training camp with Sergio Paulinho, Benjamin Noval and Tomas Vaitkus
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