Tour de France Tour Packages Spyns 2011: Contador

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Contador wearing a tainted
meat protector.

Love him or hate him, Alberto Contador is certainly the man to beat at this years' Tour de France. We are less than four months away from Spyns 2011 Tour de France trips and Contador is clearly focusing on a fourth yellow jersey. Spain's three-time Tour de France winner will have a lot on his mind when he begins his challenge on Monday to be crowned champion in the Tour of Catalonia (Spain) which is celebrating its centenary. All things considered, the 28-year-old has been in good form this season finishing fourth in the Tour of the Algarve and winning the Tour of Murcia. In just a few months, Contador has gone from has-been to main rival. I ask Spyns former clients: can anything stop the plucky Spaniard?


However strong he may be, Contador's mental and physical strength will be tested in the coming months. Aside from competing against a strong field he will also learn whether the International Cycling Union intends to appeal the decision by Spain's national federation to exonerate him over a positive doping test. Spain has a repuation for rather lax enforcement and I believe the ICU will likely appeal the decision. This would all but guarantee Contador's absence from the 2011 Tour de France. Contador, though, was more focused in the riders that will be competing for the title. "The riders who are here are some of my main rivals for the Tour de France," said the Saxo Bank rider. "There will be Cadel Evans (the crack Australian recent winner of the Tirreno-Adriatico), Ivan Basso (two-time Tour of Italy winner), Dennis Menchov (Russia's two-time Tour of Spain champion), Michele Scarponi (fourth in last year's Tour of Italy) and others I forget," he said. "They will be very difficult adversaries. They have begun the season in very good form and that is going to be clear in this race." Notice the conspicuous absence of Andy Schleck - the Luxemburger has struggled this season and no longer appears to be Contador's main rival.


Contador, whose positive test came at last year's Tour de France where he claims it emanated from a piece of contaminated meat he ate, pinpointed Wednesday's mountainous third stage as the pivotal one. "The third stage will be the key day, with the finish in Andorra, but the other days will be complicated as well," he said. I think Contador is in for many many complicated days in the run up to the 2011 Tour de France.

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whister, BC (Canada) and Beaujolais France. Spyns specializes in 2011 Tour de France packages for both riders and non-riders. We specialize in providing clients with Tour de France bike and non-biking packages with Paris grandstand seats and VIP access. Spyns offers active holidays to Europe including trips to the 2011 Tour de France. For more information about Spyns 2011 Tour de France tours, please go to http://www.tdf-tours.com/ or http://www.spyns.com/. You can also call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

Tour de France Tours 2011 Spyns: Contador 4th in Portugal

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Yes he looks like a Tron extra.
Contador during a recent
timetrial.

Alberto Contador (who I've now nicknamed "AC") is a bit like the Portuguese economy - rumous of his death have been greatly exaggerated. Contador declared himself pleased with his return to competitive action after finishing fourth in the Volta ao Algarve on Sunday. Given what the man has been through in the past months, 4th is a more than respectable showing.

Contador was cleared by the Royal Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC) last Tuesday after testing positive for the banned substance Clenbuterol at last year's Tour de France, and less than 24 hours after that ruling he was turning out for new employers Team Saxo Bank-Sungard in Portugal. In a bit of irony, Saxo Bank previously sponsored Contador's arch-rival Andy Schleck (codename "Bambi").


The three-time Tour de France winner had not raced since being provisionally suspended by the International Cycling Union (UCI) in September following his positive test, but despite a lack of competition he still went into today's final-day time-trial in second place and with a chance of retaining the Volta ao Algarve title that he had won the past two years. It was not to be for Contador, who could only finish 15th on the day, 45 seconds behind stage and overall winner Tony Martin, but the 28-year-old was nevertheless happy with his five-day showing in Portugal.
'The time trial did not go all that well, but it's already been a triumph just to be here,' he said.
'I'm very happy, although one always likes to do better. I think that it was a good performance for my first race. I read in some newspaper that I'd gone 205 days without competing, and that's too much.' He added: 'The performance was very good, because the people who were here in the time-trial were specialists, like Tony Martin. Those that finished in front are very strong riders.'


Contador felt he had 'nothing to lose' as he chased a third successive Algarve title, saying: 'I've done it differently to other years, when I came here with a lot of pressure to win the race. This year, in contrast, I've not been able to train too much, but this will also be better for me, because I always start the year too strong and then I've had to measure my breaks. 'This year, however, I will take things calmer.' Contador will join his team-mates for a training camp in Mallorca on Tuesday before then taking part in the Tour of Murcia from March 4-6. The RFEC's ruling on Contador may not yet be the end of the matter, with the International Cycling Union (UCI) and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) having the right to challenge the decision with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). We can only hope the decision is faster than Europe's (neverending) bailout. Stay tuned for Spyns 2011 Tour de France trips to see if Contador wins yet another yellow jersey.

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whister, BC (Canada) and Beaujolais France. Spyns specializes in 2011 Tour de France packages for both riders and non-riders. We specialize in providing clients with Tour de France bike and non-biking packages with Paris grandstand seats and VIP access. Spyns offers active holidays to Europe including trips to the 2011 Tour de France. For more information about Spyns 2011 Tour de France tours, please go to http://www.tdf-tours.com/ or http://www.spyns.com/. You can also call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.