In the wake of Alberto Contador’s victory in the Giro d’Italia last weekend, the organisers of the Vuelta a España have said that they would very much like to have him in their race this season.
“The presence of Contador would be excellent news because the organisation of the Vuelta a España wants to have the best riders. The ball is in the court of Contador’s group,” said race director Javier Guillen, according to Spanish media.
Guillen knows that the best chance for that to happen is if the Spaniard opts not to ride the Tour de France. He did the Giro-Vuelta double in 2008 and, three years later, that same racing programme is one option for him. He’s talked about his tiredness after the Giro d’Italia and said that he will only head to France if he believes he can fight for the victory.
“I have to wait and think with my head. Now I must recover from the effort. I climb the stairs and notice the tiredness. There is a cumulative fatigue that the body suffers,” he told the El Larguero programme on Cadena Ser this week.
Despite that, most expect him to be at the Grand Depart on July 2nd, including his team manager Bjarne Riis.
Riis and Contador have both spoken about the rider potentially trying to win all three Grand Tours in the same season, something which has never been achieved before. At a press conference held before the start of the Giro, they played down the likelihood of that happening this year if he rides the Tour de France.
However, should he win the Tour, the temptation may be there to give it a shot.
Whether or not he does the Tour this year, one possible complication for participation in the Vuelta is the outcome of his hearing with the Court of Arbitration for Sport. This delayed tribunal will take place between August 1st and 3rd; if a ruling is made against him, he is likely to be suspended.
However the Vuelta starts on August 20th, making it more likely that the decision will only be known after the start date of the race.
Meanwhile Contador has said that the rainbow jersey is a target he wants to achieve before the end of his career. “I’m considering the Worlds,” he said in the El Larguero interview. “As long as it is one which is suitable, I’m going to try to take advantage of it. The one that’s going to take place in Spain [Ponferrada in 2014] isn’t bad, and the fact that it’s in Spain is very special. Before my career is finished, I’d like to put this race in my palmares.”
This year’s worlds is in Copenhagen, on a route that is deemed most suitable for sprinters.