Alberto Contador (saxo-Tinkoff) returns to racing on Sunday in the Grand Prix Plouay, the first in a series of one-day races through which he hopes to reach peak condition for the Worlds in Florence and the Giro di Lombardia.
It is a new programme, but one which the leader of Saxo-Tinkoff is confident will help him complete his season well now that he has recovered from the Tour de France.
In the build-up to the G.P. Plouay, Contador said that he feels recovered from the Tour even though he has taken no more than 10 days off his bike since finishing the French Grand Tour.
“I have not rested more than ten days in total. After the Tour I continued training for San Sebastian and then I took a break about 5 or 6 days before returning to training. It seems that I have recovered from the stress of the Tour and I'm working to do well the end of the year,” Contador explained.
“The calendar is very unusual for me, very different, with only one-day races, about a total of 8 classics, including the World Championships, because it's where I want to peak, together with Lombardy. I'll start in Plouay, continue with Brussels, Fourmies, Quebec, Montreal, the World championships, Milan-Turin and Lombardy.”
Elaborating on his participation in the Worlds, Contador was dismissive about participating in the individual time trial.
“I think [I will race] only in the road race, not in the time trial,” he said.
Speaking of Sunday’s race, Contador stressed the difference between training and competitive racing.
“Plouay is the return to racing and despite my training, the intensity is not the same. The goal here is to have a first contact, to pick up the pace for the end of the season, as in Brussels and Fourmies. Canada is where I want be at a good level, looking ahead to the World Championships."
Last year Contador won the Milan-Turin race and though he wouldn’t state that he was aiming for a repeat win, Contador did say he wanted to finish the year strongly, which is hardly surprising after his somewhat lacklustre 2013 season so far.
“It is a different programme, but that motivates me and I hope to find a good form and reach my best level. Almost everyone who wants to do well in the Worlds does the Vuelta, but I don't think it's impossible to get in top condition. I'm training hard, doing a lot of endurance and simulating Worlds conditions. You cannot get the rhythm of the Vuelta by training, but I hope to arrive well.”
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