Alberto Contador goes into the final week of the Vuelta a Espana with a comfortable lead and he is confident that his form is good enough to hold off the challenges. At the rest day press conference, he ruled out that he will be part of the Spanish team for the World Championships.

 

On the second rest day of the Vuelta a Espana Alberto Contador did a short training with his teammates of Tinkoff-Saxo, during which they did a recon of the last kilometers of tomorrow’s stage, finishing in A Coruña. It were two hours of training, including a stop for coffee, and then it was all about relaxing a bit after the last intense days of racing.

 

After training, a quick shower and a light lunch, Alberto Contador held a press conference with Bjarne Riis, in which he said that the last week, “will be difficult and I have to be attentive because there are something for everybody, there are mountain stages, medium mountain stages and the final time trial. It will be a very intense week."

 

-After the stage to Lagos you said it would be better if nobody had to remember the missed opportunity to distance Froome. Did you think about that during yesterday's stage?

-When Sky pulled, I had some doubts about whether I would be fine, like the day before. Luckily, I had very good legs yesterday and although Froome’s change of pace was hard until the finish, I could take advantage. Of course, we have to respect Froome because he has great quality and you can never miss the opportunity to distance him.

 

-In August you said, you were coming to the Vuelta to try to win stages in the third week. What has changed since then?

-What has really changed is that I did not know how far I could come. The first week was very hard and I suffered a lot, but I could stay with the best in La Zubia and also the day Matthews won. That motivated me and I already had a good feeling in Valdelinares. What changed the situation was the first week of the race.

 

-You've said Froome has been the toughest opponent in your career. Does the fight with him motivate you?

- It is always a motivation to race against the best in the world, because it adds value to the win and attracts more fans. And we must recognize that Froome is a reference for cycling.

 

-Joaquim Rodriguez said that Fuente De [where Contador unseated Rodriguez in 2012] happens once every hundred years. Is it impossible for them to make something like that?

-I hope Joaquim is right and that I won't face such a situation. To avoid that, the most important thing is to be focused on the race and I am used to that, but I recognize that in a race, thousand different situations can occur.  hope it does not happen to me.

 

-Now you are focused on the Vuelta, but what are your plans for the Worlds?

-Having analyzed the parcours of the Worlds, I have realized that it doesn’t suit me. And it has been a tough season. I think there are other riders with more confidence like Alejandro and Joaquim that can go and I prefer to leave my place to another. I need to rest and therefore it's not in my plans this year.

 

-Before the Tour you said had prepared better tahn ever and you had arrived with a great shape. How are you now compared to the Tour de France?

-It's hard to say in terms of percentage, but I don’t have the feelings of the Tour. I arrived with a preparation of many hours in the saddle and the mountains felt easier than now but it is also true that I also have a really high level here.

 

-Both, Froome and you seem to be getting stronger. If all goes well, will the Ancares stage be the most special of the remaining part of the race?

-It's the hardest of the remaining stages, the most typical of a grand tour and it will require strength right until the end. I hope to have good legs and be with the best, no matter who it is. I hope to take my chances, but I am calm because I am not the one who has to make the difference.

 

-Yesterday you gave the impression that you knew what would happen. What will happen in Ancares?

-Froome's tactic was pretty predictable after the work his team did and my tactics was to stay with him and try to take my chance. In the remainder of this race he wiil try to exploit any circumstances and Ancares is the most obvious because it's a hard climb that requires great physical condition. For Valverde and Purito, they will also try but maybe a stage like Mount Castrove is better for them and they will certainly try to gain time there.

 

-In comparison to 2012, when you went on the attack, you can now ride more defensively?

-Evidently I'm in a different situation. On the second rest day in 2012, I said I wanted to keep fighting for victory even though there really weren't many opportunities. Now it's very different. The others have to look for those opportunities and I can just take my chance because the goal is to keep the red jersey until Santiago. Now I have the tranquility of being ahead.