CYCLING

Tour of Spain 2016 - Alberto Contador: "I hope I will be a little bit luckier"

Having left the Tour de France early on and having skipped the Olympics, Alberto Contador has no guarantees as to his form heading to the Vuelta a Espana.

He won the Tour de Burgos as he made his return to competition after pulling out of the Tour following crashes in the first two stages, citing a fever in the ninth stage.



"I didn't have many tests to asses my form ... apart form the Tour de Burgos (which he won) ... But it's a race that's completely different from the Vuelta because of the numbers of race days and because of the field (of competitors)," says Contador, who his in his final season with the Tinkoff team.

"I will be fighting for victory... We will have to take it day by day and I just hope I will be a little bit luckier. At the Vuelta, the affection of the public has always been amazing and reliving that is something I look forward to."

Before the Tour de Burgos, Contador had to heal - physically but also most importantly, psychologically.
"The Tour was my main goal this season, the Spaniard says.

"It was a complicated time... It was coming back to my head, it was hard to come over it from a psychological point of view."



Getting ready for the Vuelta was also a tough challenges.

"It was difficult because at the beginning I could not train," he recalls.

Contador, one of only six men with titles in all three grand tours, had a convincing start to season, showing glimpses of his brilliant best and focusing all his efforts towards the Tour.

It did not turn out as expected, though, as he crashed in the first stage and never recovered.

At the Vuelta, Contador will have no trouble finding motivation.

"The rivals will be the same as  on the Tour, plus a few others, he says, after Tour champion Chris Froome confirmed he was taking part in the three-week race.

Will it be a revenge for Contador?

"No, no, it's not the same race at all. I just hope to take a better star than on the Tour."



Should he prevail and win a fourth Vuelta title, Contador will join Jacques Anquetil in third place of the all-time grand tour winners with eight wins.

Only Bernard Hinault (10) and Eddy Merckx (11) have won more.