Expects Schleck brothers and RadioShack Nissan team to try to gain time
Three time victor Alberto Contador appears to be happy with today’s announced route for next year’s Tour de France, with the mixture of climbs and time trials suiting a rider of his characteristics. Although the Spaniard is primarily known for his power in the mountains, he has also won Tour time trials in the past and should open up time over some of his rivals there again.
Contador is however still waiting to learn if he will be able to ride next year’s Tour; he tested positive for Clenbuterol in 2010 and while the Spanish federation accepted his explanation of contaminated meat as the source and cleared him, the UCI and WADA have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. A decision is due after his hearing next month.
Providing he lines out in the race, he would appear to have a chance of taking what would be a fourth win. However he appears to want to hand the favourite tag – plus the resulting pressure – to the person who won this July.
“It is a route which favours last year’s (sic) winner, Cadel Evans,” he told AFP at today’s Tour launch. “It will be a course that that makes it more essential to attack, which is not a bad thing. We’ll need to see what happens in the mountain stages, even if they are not as dramatic as in other years. It will be necessary to take advantage of the type of terrain to make a difference.”
He knows that some of his big rivals from recent years will be disadvantaged by what is almost 100 kilometers of time trials. “There will be riders like the Schleck brothers, for example, who will try to make a difference because of the final time trial. This route profile is not so much for a climber, but more for a more complete rider, as well as a time trial specialist.”
Because of that, he expects that the brothers’ team will try to ambush him and other riders. “Some stages are very complicated,” he told Reuters. “It will be up to Radioshack-Nissan, with Andy and Frank Schleck and Andreas Kloeden, to try and seize opportunities.”
This year’s Tour was revealed today in Paris. It features three time trials, including the opening prologue, and just three summit finishes.
It begins in Liège on June 30th and ends on July 22nd in Paris.