Contador wins Golden Bike
Eurosport - Wed, 26 Nov 12:09:00 2008
Giro and Vuelta champion Alberto Contador won the Golden Bike award for the best rider of the year for the second consecutive season.
The Spaniard beat time-trial Olympic champion Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland and compatriot and Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre in a vote by international cycling writers.
"In my opinion, this trophy is the greatest in the world because it is awarded by the whole specialised press," Contador told Velo Magazine, the newspaper behind the award.
Although he did not take part in the Tour de France because his Astana team were not invited, Contador was rewarded for an outstanding season in which he became the fifth rider to win the three big Tours.
He won the Tour in 2007 and this year triumphed in the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta.
"Last year, it was already a big surprise but this year I thought it would be very difficult to win it because I did not ride in the Tour de France," added Contador, who turns 26 next week.
"Actually, I did not think I would win it."
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Comment 1 - 11 of 11
contador didnt come from nowhere he was tipped as the best young rider on the planet then had aterrible accident and almost died, he then came back and ended up in the wrong team but was cleared of any wrongdoing just like a number of other riders including valverde, he then won the tour the next year
Why would anyone think Valverde is not clean? He has been so good at the beginning of big Tours, yet has always faded as they headed into double digit days. If he were doping, surely the whole point would be to win? He is clean.
As for Contador, different story there. Coming from virtually nowhere, Liberty Seguros? Astana? The names conjure up their own images and other linked riders. Armstrong? Leave him be.The most tested man on the planet, and not just by the cycling authorities, can only be clean.
well done alberto but lets see how he does next year, who really knows if any of them are really clean, contador, armstrong (i personally hope they both were and are ) and the rest but assuming they are both clean next year i would love to see contador armstrong battle it out next year in the tour de france. the young gun against the old master. great prospect in the mountains.
fastphil1111 contador and valverde were both investigated and cleared, they are and were clean they get tested so much that nethin taken would show up contador was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Well done contador you deserved this
contador is my hero - well done sir, te lo mereses!
What does comment 5 mean?
All is it, how should be
Valverde is CLEAN!!! Leave him out of this!!
ok - astana will be invited to the 09 tour and now lets see if alberto contador (a.c.) can win clean . there is no doubt he is the rider from puerto with the " a.c. " label but unfortuntly the spanish federation stoped the investigation just as contador and valverde were about to be investigated. The spanish cycling federation saved their respective carrers and now contado will attempt to win his first grand tour clean ?
Winning the Tour de France alone will not be as big an achievement as winning the Giro and Vuelta in the same year...2008 will always be his stand out season!
Congrats! to Contador. To repeat this feat in 09 is going to be difficult. The competition is shaping up to be fierce. This is the year he will need to do well to silence his critics.
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