Contador all set to put his best foot forward

TWO-TIME Tour de France winner Alberto Contador yesterday said that he was not fully fit going into this year’s race but was relishing the prospect of an exciting competition.

The Spanish rider, who won cycling’s greatest prize in 2007 and 2009, is viewed as the main challenger to Britain’s Chris Froome, who was runner-up last year behind Bradley Wiggins.

This year’s Tour is the 30-year-old Spaniard’s first since returning from a ban for a doping violation that saw him stripped of his win in 2010 and first place awarded to Luxembourg’s Andy Schleck.

Contador said he was happy to return to “the biggest race in the world” and was hoping to perform to the best of his abilities.

But there have been doubts about his fitness after he said during the traditional Tour warm-up, the Criterium du Dauphine, that he was only 75% of his capacity.

Contador has yet to register a win this season, trailing behind Froome in Oman, the Criterium International, Tour of Romandie and the Criterium du Dauphine.

But he said if he did not believe he could challenge Froome he would not have entered the Tour.

Contador told a news conference in Porto Vecchio, Corsica, where the 100th edition of the Tour starts tomorrow, that his Saxo-Tinkoff team was stronger than his last appearance in 2011, which could give him an advantage, particularly going into the mountain stages.

One secret weapon could be Michael Rogers, who formerly rode for Froome’s Team Sky and knows how the British outfit thinks and races, he added. — Sapa-AFP

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