Alberto Contador safely negotiated another tricky say when he finished with his main rivals in today's seventh stage of the Tour de France. The Spaniard is now readu for the first big battles in the Vosges but doesn't expect tomorrow's explosive finish to suit him too well.
Alberto Contador again rode a very attentive race when he stayed in front all day in today's stage 7 of the Tour de France and he even asked his teammate Nicolas Roche to force a selection on the final climb. He has now finally reached his favourite terrain as the race hits the Vosges tomorrow.
“The final didn’t suit me”, he said and added that something similar will happen tomorrow.
“Perhaps the last climb is too short and explosive, which is better for riders like Valverde or even Nibali but we’ll be there, but we’re still looking forward to Monday’s finale, which is more suitable for me”, said the leader of Tinkoff-Saxo.
“In a finale like today, it’s much easier to drift back but there you’ll risk having a crash and then be wasting a whole year. So you have to be in front and to support me I have a team that protects me in an incredible way. In a few days we’ll be at the foot of the mountains and we’ll find out what my form is like”.
About the possibility of attack in the Vosges, he says:
“The mountain terrain actually doesn’t begin until Monday. Tomorrow will be an explosive finish, more suitable for other riders. We will do our race and take our time. The Alps will provide a world of hurt but the Tour will be decided in the Pyrenees. The home viewers are going to have fun watching”, he concluded.
“It was another hard day in France and another day with crashes and time gaps but Alberto was delivered perfectly in the finale by the boys who managed to explode the field and especially Nico (Roche) really did a big difference on the final climb," sports director Philippe Mauduit said. "Luckily, we had no crashes today. Tomorrow’s gonna be a demanding stage. I expect 50 riders to make it in the first group at the foot of the final climb over 3 kilometers but time differences will occur and we have to position Alberto in a favorable spot so he can finish among the best."
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