Alberto Contador has thrown down the gauntlet to Chris Froome by insisting he is no longer intimidated by his great rival.
The Spaniard, who finished fourth behind eventual winner Froome in the 2013 edition of the Tour de France, gained his revenge at this year’s Vuelta a España by beating the Team Sky rider into second place.
Froome confirmed on Tuesday that he will enter next year’s Tour de France despite initial concerns over the lack of time trials on the route. Contador – who won the 2007, 2009 and 2010 editions before being stripped of the latter after being found guilty of a doping offence – will also be on the start line in Utrecht on 4 July having been forced to withdraw from this year’s race through injury as the Italian Vicenzo Nibali claimed the title.
Asked if he now has the edge over Froome following his victory at the Vuelta, Contador told cyclingnews.com: “One thing is sure. After Froome won the Tour de France in 2013, he was asked who his major rivals were for the future and he said Nibali, [Nairo] Quintana and maybe Contador if I could return to that level but that it was different now.
“Well … that was one race. This year at the Tour we saw that I could be a favourite. When he was attacking this year, we saw that I could live with that, that I could go with him. So when he attacks and you know that inside you have more power, that gives you some security. An edge? I don’t know but security, yes.
“But now it changes nothing. We all start 2015 at zero and we all have to go from there but of course there’s more confidence because you know you have the legs.”
Contador has already indicated that he is also planning to attempt to ride the Giro D’Italia next season in an attempt to become the first man to win both Grand Tours in the same season since Marco Pantani in 1998.
“When I saw that people said that the Giro and Tour were impossible to win together I took a step back and thought: ‘Well, it’s only impossible until someone makes it possible,’” he said.
“Why do people think it’s impossible? I mean if I go to the Giro and win, and I then recover well why can’t I think take on the Tour? Of course, I know it’s going to be difficult but there’s a chance. That’s my opinion, and that’s what’s in my head and motivating me.”
In 2011, Contador attempted the Giro-Tour double for the first time and ended up winning in Italy before going on to finish fifth at the Tour. He was subsequently stripped of both results after testing positive for Clenbuterol the previous season.
“You can analyse all you want but the difference, like I said, was that in 2011 the Tour wasn’t on the original plan. It was only at the last moment that I was sent to the Tour,” he said.
“Day one, I had a crash and I lost around one minute 20 on all my rivals. Then it’s the team time trial and I lose another 40 seconds. So after two key days of racing I’m already two minutes down. That first crash wasn’t too bad and I almost win a stage against Cadel Evans but then just before the mountains I have another crash with [Vladimir] Karpets and my knee ends up looking like a mess and I say to Bjarne that I don’t think I can recover but he wants me to carry on.
“So I keep on fighting and decide to just recover through the Pyrenees without attacking. I get through that part and lose just a bit of time but then in the Alps I have one bad day because of hunger knock on the Galibier. That’s where I lost the chance of winning.”
Contador launched an attack the following day on the road to Alpe d’Huez before eventually being overhauled. But he believes that day was proof that the double can be done.
“For me, that day was more important than a lot of my victories,” he said.
“I didn’t win but it gave me a lot of heart. So if I hadn’t lost that time in the first week, and if we had a little bit of a stronger team then I could have been in for the overall win.”
