In 2013 Alberto Contador focused all his attention on the Tour de France but failed to live up to expectations when he finished 4th in the French grand tour. In 2014 he will go back to a more traditional race schedule that allows hit to hit peak form for selected stage races in the spring.

Things didn't go as expected for Alberto Contador in 2013 when the Spaniard rode his first full season after returning from suspension for his positive clenbuterol test at the 2010 Tour de France. With a win in the 2012 Vuelta a Espana, he appeared to be on track to return to his former level but he never hit the kind of form that had seen him dominate the grand tours in past years.

Contador put all his focus on the Tour de France but only managed to finish 4th in the French grand tour and his attempt to make amends in the autumn didn't bring much success either. Currently participating in the first Saxo-Tinkoff gathering in Gran Canaria, the multiple grand tour winner is trying to figure out how he can return to his former level.

In past seasons, Contador has not only been the dominant grand tour rider, he has also had a habit of focussing on select stage races in the spring. He has won the Paris-Nice and the Tour of the Basque Country twice and was the winner of the 2011 Volta a Catalunya until that victory was taken away from him due to his positive test.

In 2013, he participated in major stage races like the Tirreno-Adriatico and the Vuelta al Pais Vasco and while he tried to win both, he had not prepared specifically for the events as he had done in the past. According to sports director Philippe Mauduit, Contador will return to his previous habit when he resumes racing in 2013.

"The option chosen in 2013 didn't fit with Alberto's physiology or with his psychology," Mauduit told L'Equipe. "In years gone by, he had set himself some very early targets, like Paris-Nice and the Tour of the Basque Country. We're going to go back towards this more classic approach.

"Some riders, like Alberto, need something more cyclical, where they have a big period of work, a peak of form, a rest period, then a new phase of work, a second peak of form… It's closely linked to the rider's motivation. If you don’t understand that, there’s every chance that you'll fail."

Contador has already made it clear that he will start racing much later in 2014 when he will go back to his habit of starting the season at the Volta ao Algarve in February. In 2011 and 2012, he kicked off his racing already in the Tour de San Luis in January. His main objectives will be the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana.

While Contador plans to target select stage races in the sprint, he hasn't selected his goals yet. In past years, Paris-Nice has been a focus but in 2012, he made his first attempt in the Tirreno-Adriatico.

His choice for 2014 hasn't been made yet.

"We don't know the route of Paris-Nice yet, for example. Before committing to a race, you'd like to know what kind of ground you're dancing on," Maduit said. "The only parameter that's fixed is the alternation between periods of racing, resting and working in the mountains."

Contador has often been hampered by allergy in the spring season and this means that he is unlikely to race again after the Vuelta al Pais Vasco, thus effectively ruling out a return to the Ardennes classics.

"Alberto is really handicapped by pollen, so in late April, early May, you wouldn't have much interest in putting him through big workloads at races," Mauduit said. "Instead, he's going to go to places in the mountains where nature will leave him alone. The allergy doesn't stop him from working hard, he just needs to adapt."

In 2013 Contador only won one race: a stage in the Tour de San Luis.