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Home » Top Stories » Road » Dauphiné Libéré

Contador downplays Dauphiné chances

By VeloNews.com
Published: Jun. 6, 2009
Contador says he doesn't feel pressure heading into the Dauphiné.
Contador says he doesn't feel pressure heading into the Dauphiné.
Photo: Casey B. Gibson

Everyone is calling him the pre-race favorite for victory at next week’s Dauphiné Libéré, but Alberto Contador isn’t buying into it.

The Spanish climber insists he wants to use the eight-day French race across the Alps – which opens Sunday with an individual time trial in Nancy -- as a trampoline for success in the Tour de France in July.

“I don’t see myself (as the favorite), because I’m coming back from a long break from competition,” Contador said in an interview Saturday. “There are other riders more favored, especially one that stands above the rest, Alejandro Valverde, who just won the Volta a Catalunya and he’s probably above the rest. But you cannot forget Evans, Gesink, Basso or Igor Antón. There are a lot of candidates.”

Contador said he’s fit after intense workouts and training rides in the Alps and Pyrénées leading up to the Dauphiné, his first race since winning the Vuelta al País Vasco in mid-April.

“I believe that I will be in good condition thanks to the latest training sessions and that the race won’t punish me too much,” he continued. “I hope that the Dauphiné will put me on good form and not take me too deep because it’s a very demanding race and I should assimilate the effort thinking about the Tour.”

Contador has raced the Dauphiné twice, but never won. His first effort came in 2005, when he cut a finger on the spokes of a wheel, while his second shot concluded with sixth place in 2007, just weeks before his surprise victory in the Tour.

The 2009 Dauphiné is challenging, with two long time trials (only two kilometers less than what the peloton will race in the Tour) and a summit finish on Mont Ventoux with climbs over such emblematic cols as the Izoard, Galibier, Croix de Fer and the Madeleine.

“It’s a good course for me. I was making these types of climbs before coming and I think I can climb them without costing me too much physically,” he said. “Anyway, I want to be calm in the race, without thinking about the overall. Maybe I will make a test, but I want to save my strength, because I wouldn’t want to miss them come July.”

Contador also said he will likely test his new time trial bike and said he expects to lose “another kilogram” during the course of the race to bring him down to his ideal weight for the Tour.

He also hinted he might race the Spanish national championships in late June, but otherwise won’t race between the Dauphiné’s conclusion on June 14 and the start of the Tour on July 4.

Concerning Astana’s on-going financial problems, Contador said he’s trying not to think about it too much.

“Now I am calm and I want to stay concentrated 100 percent on my preparation for the Tour,” he said. “My objective is to be in perfect condition on July 4 for the start in Monaco and I prefer to stay to the side of this problem right now.”