Alberto Contador is to attend the end of season Criterium Ciudad de Oviedo in Spain this weekend; not to ride the event, as originally planned, but as a spectator. The Tour de France winner was originally listed as riding the race, but this was quickly denied by his press agent. Contador has no intention of racing until the situation of his positive test for Clenbuterol at the Tour is resolved, one way or another, despite assurances from the Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC) that he is allowed to do so.
The event is to be the last race of RadioShack rider Jose Luis “Chechu” Rubiera’s long career. He and Contador were teammates between 2007 and 2009 at Discovery Channel and Astana, with Rubiera playing a part in Contador’s 2008 Vuelta a España victory, and Contador is attending to pay tribute to the 37-year-old.
“Alberto Contador will not want to miss this appointment to paid tribute to an emblematic rider as Chechu Rubiera is,” says the official statement from Contador’s press agent, “ for which he has always had a great admiration and respect as person, as well as have the opportunity one more year to be with his mates and friends of Asturias’ peloton.”
As well as Rubiera, those riders who will be racing include Olympic champion Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Benjamin Noval (Astana), Carlos Barredo (Quick Step) and Santiago Perez (Loule Louletano). Controversially, Ezequiel Mosquera (Xacobeo-Galicia) is also listed to ride; like Contador, Mosquera, who finished second in the Vuelta, is also in limbo after a positive doping control at that race but has been cleared to compete by RFEC.