Alberto Contador (Astana) will be heading to France this weekend to race the Dauphiné Libéré in what will be his last stage race before he looks to defend his Tour de France crown next month. The Spaniard will contest the event following a brilliant first half of his season that included wins in the Volta ao Algarve, the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon and Paris-Nice.
The only doubts hovering around Contador for his Tour de France bid are questions about the strength of his Astana team. He has clearly shown he is the man to beat on an individual level, but the length of a Grand Tour will provide more opportunities for his rivals to exploit the Kazakh team.
Alexandre Vinokourov's ride in the recent Giro d'Italia again showed the Astana team's weakness in the mountains. The Astana leader has pledged his unwavering support to the Spaniard in July, which could very well make the difference for Contador. Following through with his commitment could also go a long way towards rebuilding his image.
This year the Dauphiné will include a finish atop the mythical Alpe d’Huez for the first time in 62 editions. With its 21 numbered bends and 1,000 meters of vertical gain over 14 kilometers, it will be a stage that Contador should look to test his form. The Astana team will bring along David De La Fuente, Dimitriy Fofonov, Jesus Hernandez, Daniel Navarro, Benjamin Noval, Paolo Tiralongo and Andrey Zeits, all riding to earn a spot on the Tour de France team in what will be an important dress rehearsal for next month.
The race is 1070 kilometres in length, and concludes in Sallances, the venue for Bernhard Hinault’s 1980 world championship victory.
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Dauphiné Libéré 2010 :
Prologue, June 6 : Evian-les-Bains (6 km)
Stage 1, June 7 : Evian-les-Bains - Saint-Laurent-du-Pont (191 km)
Stage 2, June 8 : Annonay - Bourg-Saint-Andéol (177 km)
Stage 3, June 9 :Stage: Monteux - Sorgues (49 km)
Stage 4, June 10 : Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux – Risoul (210 km)
Stage 5, June 11: Serre-Chevalier - Grenoble (143,5 km)
Stage 6, June 12: Crolles - Alpe-d’Huez (151,5 km)
Stage 7, June 13: Allevard-les-Bains - Sallanches (148 km)