Saxo Bank SunGard team leader Alberto Contador knows that his participation in the Tour de France is uncertain, but has confirmed that he will compete in the Giro d’Italia this season, vying for his second overall success there.
The Spaniard won the race in 2008 and describes the event in glowing terms. The chance to win a second Maglia Rosa will be a big motivator for him.
“It’s the first goal of my season,” he confirmed in a long interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport. “I studied all the stages last week and it is a very hard Giro. This is the stage race that I have most liked during my career.”
He’s also won three Tours de France (with the final victory being under review) and one Vuelta a España, so Contador knows what he is talking about. His reason for valuing the 2008 experience is likely to be due to the fact that he and his team got a last-minute entry to the race, making the win all the more unexpected, but so too due to the mountainous nature of the parcours.
The Giro is known as being the stage race with the most climbs and the same will apply to the 2011 edition. It is 3498 kilometers long and will feature seven uphill finishes, including Mount Etna, the Zoncolan, Nevegal and Sestrière.
2010 Vuelta winner Vincenzo Nibali described it as one of the toughest routes that he had seen, and if Contador is in shape he’ll seek to exploit that to maximum effect.
The Spaniard is certain to try to win the race, particularly as his participation in the Tour de France remains to be confirmed. He recently returned to competition after a provisional suspension for his positive test in the 2010 Tour de France. For now, he’s able to race as the Spanish Cycling Federation RFEC cleared him of Clenbuterol use, but it is thought likely that either WADA or the UCI will appeal the decision.
If they successfully argue their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), he could serve a ban of between one and two years.
At this point in time, he’s planning as if he’ll be able to compete there. “I plan to be at the Tour, if they accept me at the start,” he said. In fact, according to CAS, it’s possible that the result of his case might not be known until after the Tour begins on July 2nd.
Before then, he’ll race in several events to build form for the Giro. He recently finished fourth in the Volta ao Algarve, and is next due to compete in the Vuelta a Murcia, running from tomorrow until Saturday. After that he’ll compete in the Volta a Catalunya and the Vuelta Castilla y Leon. The Ardennes Classics are also on his provisional schedule.