Saxo Bank-SunGard captain disappointed to miss out on victory but optimistic about his own performance
Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-SunGard) came within a couple of inches of a stage victory on the Mûr-de-Bretagne in today’s fourth stage of the Tour de France. While he couldn’t quite overcome 2009 World champion Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) on the line though, the defending Tour champion’s performance on the steep climb to the finish gives him grounds for optimism.
“On one hand I'm happy because my feelings are good,” said Contador after the stage. “In the finale I was the one creating the gap to see how my rivals were responding, and especially to see if I could gain some time to some riders; in that sense I'm happy.
“On the other hand,” he continued, “I was a little disappointed because my team worked hard, and to have achieved the stage win when I was so close to it would have been a great joy.
For the Spaniard though, the aim in this Tour de France is to be in possession of the yellow jersey when the race reaches Paris. While missing out on the victory today was disappointing, he is keeping sight of the bigger picture.
“The ultimate goal for the team is the overall win and that encourages me and keeps me motivated,” he said. “I'm basically very happy with the result.”
Contador is currently aiming to become the first rider to do the Giro-Tour double since Marco Pantani in 1998. His victory in what was widely regarded as the toughest Giro d’Italia in years though, have left him a little jaded coming into the Tour de France.
“I have felt better than this but keep in mind that the Giro's effort is still there and I don't know how I will recover after the first week of this race.”
Saxo Bank-SunGard sports director Brad McGee was also very pleased with Contador’s performance, especially as the rider’s accelerations on the final climb were decided upon at the spur of the moment.
"The attack wasn't planned out like this,” he said. “We had talked about the opportunity of going away if Alberto was feeling good but he truly showed good legs and great morale by attacking like that.
“It was a very tight sprint decision, but I guess we have to wait a bit to raise our arms," he added.
Saxo Bank-SunGard owner Bjarne Riis was perhaps a little more circumspect over the performance of Contador. While he was positive about the condition of his leading rider, he realises that, while the Mûr-de-Bretagne may be known as the Alpe d’Huez of Brittany, a performance here doesn’t necessarily translate to one there.
“The stage shows that Alberto is ready for the Tour which we have known from the start of the race,” said Riis. “But remember that there's a huge difference from climbing a slope like this and climbing Galibier or Alpe d'Huez.
“You can't count on seeing the same riders finish like this on the big mountains,” he added. “But it was a great and exciting finish today.”