Spanish rider Alberto Contador has announced his intention to retire from competitive cycling after the 2017 Vuelta a Espana, the last Grand Tour of the current season. Contador has won the Tour de France on two occasions and is still regarded as one of the most spectacular riders. The Spaniard won the Tour de France in 2007 and 2009 and also finished first in the overall classification in 2010, but was stripped of that title after a positive doping test. He defended himself saying that the banned substance that was traced in his body was ingested accidentally through some steak that he had eaten.
Alberto Contador is one of the six riders in the history of cycling to have won all three Grand Tours: the Tour de France, Vuelta a Espana and Giro d'Italia. "I don't think there is a better farewell than the home race in my home country," Contador said in a post on Instagram. "I'm saying this happy, I'm not saying it with sadness. It's a decision I've thought about very well." Contador turned professional in 2003 with Spanish team ONCE-Eroski and in 2007 he had his first major success as he won the overall classification at the Tour de France.
Then he won the Giro d'Italia and the Tour of Spain in 2008, the Tour de France again in 2009 and after having served a suspension for doping he returned to win the Vuelta a Espana again in 2012 and 2014 and the Tour of Italy in 2015. He has won several other races across the world, including the Milano - Torino one-day race, the Tour of the Basque Country on four occasions, Paris - Nice and the Tirreno Adriatico stage race in Italy. He was awarded the prestigious Velo d'Or a record four times.
Alberto Contador is 7/1 at Bet365 to win the 2017 Vuelta a Espana.
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Comments (1)
sharpe
08/17/17, 08:08:23 PM
Contador - I think we could say many things about him, I don't really ever liked him but I think he makes the most races he was in interesting because of hiss aggressive...
Contador - I think we could say many things about him, I don't really ever liked him but I think he makes the most races he was in interesting because of hiss aggressive approach. Last seasons though for one reason or another he's far behind his usual form and with the lack of really strong team that he could join ends up with that decision of ending his career.
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