Alberto Contador finished safely in the peloton at the end of stage 1 of the Volta ao Algarve today. The Tour de France champion proclaimed himself satisfied with his first race of the season.
“It was a bit of a mixed day, with rain, wind and some cold,” said Contador. “There’s been everything, but my feelings were good”
Today’s stage was not only Contador’s first race of the season, but also his first genuinely competitive outing since claiming his second yellow jersey in Paris last July. On top of this, it was the Spaniard’s first chance to race with the Astana team since the other eight members of last year’s Tour team departed to the new RadioShack team.
“I’m very happy with the team,” he said. “My teammates worked to perfection, though it was only a transitional stage, we’ll see what happens in the coming days.”
Having been forced to miss out on a number of training days due to the unusually cold European winter, Contador is reportedly 2kg heavier than his Tour winning weight. Consequently, gauging the 27-year-old’s condition was a key part of the stage. “The important thing today was to see how my legs were,” he said, “and my feelings were good”
After last year’s media war with teammate and rival Lance Armstrong, where the American used regular messages to his vast Twitter following to criticise Contador, the Tour champion has decided to start his own digital campaign.
“From now those who wish follow me and read my comments may do so [on Twitter] through my profile: @albertocontador.”