Sick Contador happy with progress
Alberto Contador, suffering from a cold, finished 24th in the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon but said the race had given him good preparation for next month's Giro in Italy.
The three-times Tour de France winner next competes at the Fleche Wallonne in Belgium on Wednesday.
"I am going to try and recover as soon as possible from the cold," Contador said after Sunday's fifth and final stage over 168 kilometres and ending in the city of Valladolid.
"The Vuelta a Castilla y Leon has been a good race but I did not have much luck in the mountains," he added, referring to the two punctures that hampered his progress on Friday.
"Nonetheless I am coming away with a good feeling because the next day I won the time trial which is more of a test for the main goals of the season."
The race was won by Contador's compatriot, Xavier Tondo. Dutchman Bauke Mollema was second and Igor Anton, another Spaniard, was third.
Contador is fighting to clear his name after testing positive for the banned substance clenbuterol during last year's Tour de France, a result he blamed on contaminated meat.
The Spanish cycling federation (RFEC) lifted an initial ban in February but the International Cycling Union (UCI) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Comment 1 - 15 of 15
AC - 3 Andy - none
How was it a sharp decline?
In the last five years, he's had ten top ten GT finishes, two of them last year.
It was the sudden decline- one year head of the peleton bouncing up mountains, next year persistently nowhere, aging decline is normally gradual. I'll grant you there's no proof but it makes you wonder ...
"Funny how Sastre has faded since a tightening of dope testing"
You can't accuse a man of doping based on his decline happening at the right age.
Before the EPO fountain of youth came along, riders retired at ~34. If anything, his decline would fit with pre-blood doping era declines and suggest he was clean.
That doesn't mean he is clean, just the logic is, well, wrong.
Funny how Sastre has faded since a tightening of dope testing .......... Come to think of it there a few more 'stars' not shining quite so brightly.
Hats off to David Harmon for his impromtu ticking off of his Twitter critics during his Amstel commentary.
And before anyone mentions David Millar, at least he 'fessed up before getting caught which is slightly more acceptable than certain Astana rider.
Breaking News Flash: Contador suffers from hang nail, chapped lips & halitosis. Pictures at 11. Stop the presses!!!
I imagine the guys at Eurosport all dread being the one who gets picked to write the Conta-fluff story. With a rider like Gilbert winning Amstel, shutting down Schleck and Rodriguez late in the race, that's all the star power you need in your morning sports section for cycling. This could have easily been a 'top 10 contendors in next phase of classics' article, that woud have promoted riders and their team sponsors for future stories. You could have included all the relevant facts on Contador too, since he is riding the Fleche at least.
Coming Tomorrow! Contador has eggs for Breakfast!!! Read all the irrelevant details here on Borosport!
Yeah, he's getting on, and the days of considering him a winner are over, but I wouldn't write him off completely just yet. Three GT top twenties, two of them top tens last year. He's still an exceptional rider, just no longer in a t-shirt selling way. It's been ten years since he last finished a season without a top ten placing in at least one of the GTs. With the already weak - and in the light of recent events, likely to get weaker - field at the Giro, he could have made the podium had he not been ill.
He won't win again, but he's still a better GC man than most teams have. Menchov has one hell of a domestique there.
Sastre saying he's not good enough should be replaced by Sastre saying he's too old!
You can't ride Father Time off your wheel !
Here are two predictions with good odds: Menchov will crash at the Giro and McQuaid will get more than a four year ban very soon, but not for doping.
Agreed Sastre should be front page news. The fact is though that nobody is interested that Pooley has a broken collarbone.
Sastre announces he's not good enough and Menchov will be sole team leader at the Giro, McQuaid calls for four year bans, Pooley out with a fractured collar bone, Van Lancker signs for Garmin, Weird Matt Wright ongoing story, and on going Ferrari investigation all in the news today, but Eurosport make "Contador has cold" a front page story?
How does that work?
come on the brilliant contador, win the giro and sicken all them a**holes, who dont want o believe you.
Sick? To much red meat.
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