If Alejandro Valverde is the here-and-now in Spanish cycling, Alberto Contador is the big hope for the future.

The 24-year-old has been nipping at the edge of major success the past few seasons and since signing a two-year deal with Discovery Channel, the Madrileño seems poised for a breakthrough season.

Contador revealed he’ll be a factor this season, winning Friday’s “queen stage” in the Volta a la Comunidad Valenciana ahead of Valverde. Only a crash earlier in the week kept him from taking the overall.

A pro since 2003, Contador nearly died in the Vuelta a Asturias in 2004 when he suffered a brain hemorrhage after a crash. Only quick action by a doctor saved his life. After surgery and a long convalescence, Contador returned in 2005 to win a stage in the Tour Down Under and a stage and the overall at Setmana Catalana.

A natural climber and improving time trialist, Contador won stages last year in the Tour of Romandie and Tour de Suisse, respectively, only to be left out of the 2006 Tour de France after being caught up in the Operación Puerto investigation.

Though he was one of nine riders forced out ahead of the start of the Tour, none other than Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes himself, who said he never worked with Contador, cleared him. A Spanish court later formally cleared him of any link to the doping investigation.

VeloNews.com caught up with Contador ahead of last week’s Valencia tour. Here are excerpts from the interview:

VeloNews.com: You had some problems last year with the Puerto investigation, but your name was cleared, how do feel about what happened?

Alberto Contador: I never had any problem with that. I am looking forward because there’s nothing that can change what happened. I feel very motivated for this season and now it seems like things have quieted down. It seems that the Puerto business was more something that was played out in the media and in the end they weren’t able to prove anything against any of the riders. In the end, I believe we all learn something from this situation and you have to look ahead to this season with optimism that we can move forward in the sport and create positive things.

VN.com: You’re Spanish, the team is American, but it’s very international, so how are fitting at Discovery Channel?

AC: Everything is going well with the team. I am fitting in well. I already knew quite a few people on the team from other years and the truth is I feel like I am at home. I think I made a good selection to come to this team.

VN.com: You had as many as four offers from different teams for 2007, why did you sign with Discovery?

AC: I always had interest in this team and this team was always looking at me since the first year I became a professional. Well, I knew that the problems [Liberty Seguros] was having that there was a good chance the team might not continue this year and I was looking at different options with several teams. After analyzing everything, I think I made the correct decision. This team has a great structure, successful history and there’s room for me here to grow. This team has the best experience in preparing for the Tour.

VN.com: How well do you know Armstrong? You had a chance to ride with him during the team camp in California?

AC: It’s an honor to be able to ride with him. We were talking about a few things with the team and he’s a strong presence on the team. Right now he’s in pretty shape. He was riding with the team in California and he’s not in bad shape. If he started training again, I don’t think he’d have any problems coming back and obtaining success again very fast.

VN.com: What are your primary goals for the 2007 season?

AC: Well, the first objectives are to ride well in March, Paris-Nice is a race I like a lot and the same with the Vuelta al País Vasco. After that, taking a little break and try to arrive in the maximum condition for the Tour de France. Before that, I will race the Dauphiné Libéré and above all, it’s to be in good shape for the Tour. We had already talked on the team and they told me they wanted me to get ready for the Tour and I am super-motivated to be in position to race the Tour with a team like this. I hope to do this well.

VN.com: You’ve made steady progress as a pro, what kind of improvements do you want to make this season in the Tour? Do you dream one day of winning the Tour?

AC: The first thing is to help Ivan Basso. He’s the maximum leader of the team and he’s demonstrated clearly to the world that he’s the first candidate for victory in the Tour de France, so it’s natural that the team will rally around him in the Tour. In aiming for this goal, I will have to be in top condition. So if I am in good position, maybe I can fight to try to win a stage or perhaps better still aim to capture the white jersey of the best young rider. To win one day? That is the dream of every rider. I’ve only raced it once [31st overall in 2005] so I have a lot to learn.

VN.com: So you might not race the Vuelta?

AC: Well, we’ll see. The Tour is a race that’s very demanding, so we’ll first have to see how it goes and then we’ll have to see how I recover. After that, we’ll think about whether I make the Vuelta or not.

VN.com: The team learned some bad news recently that the title sponsor is going to be leaving, is that decisive adversely affecting the team?

AC: The ambiance is very good in the team. We’re not worried that the management will not be able to find another sponsor to take over the team. The departure of Discovery Channel was a consequence of a change of management within the company and nothing to do with us. I don’t think there will be any major problem to find a new sponsor for the success that the team has had and with the support of Lance Armstrong and the profile he enjoys in the United States. No one on the team is too worried about it. We have to worry about doing our jobs.