The Giro-Tour double has long been one of cycling’s most coveted achievements. Winning two Grand Tours in one year is a sign of a rider's dominance, and unsurprisingly the list of those who have achieved it is a list of the greatest cyclists of all time. Eight male riders have managed to win both the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France in one season, and one female rider, although that is a list that could grow longer thanks to the date change for the women's Giro.

The first rider to achieve the feat was the great Fausto Coppi. The Italian was an icon, famed for his movie star good looks, and the first rider to dominate the sport and win races across Europe. The last rider to win both was Tadej Pogačar, and now his rival Jonas Vingegaard will attempt it in 2026. Starting the Giro for the first time, the Dane is the stand out favourite of all the GC contenders and will go on to ride the Tour de France in July.

Since the turn of the century the Giro/Tour double had been considered impossible in modern cycling, as the likes of Alberto Contador and Chris Froome - the two best GC riders of their generation with multiple wins between them - both failed to do it during their careers.

Although Froome did do the Tour/Vuelta double in 2017, and in 2018 won the Giro, meaning he held all three Grand Tour titles at the same time. Weeks later he finished third in the 2018 Tour behind team mate Geraint Thomas and Dutchman Tom Dumoulin.

The difficulty of winning both is in part down to the time in between the two races. Just the month of June separates them, and while this is plenty of time for a rider to recover, the challenge is for a rider to maintain their form from the beginning of May through to the end of July. Any rider attempting the Giro/Tour double knows that just one bad day out of 42 race days can end their attempt.

*Completed the Triple Crown by also winning the UCI road race World Championships

Annemiek van Vleuten became the first woman to win the Giro/Tour double in 2022, although this list of one is not through a lack of female riders good enough to do it, but through a lack of opportunity. The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift returned to the women's calendar in 2022 after a decade long campaign, and even then, the dates weren't helpful.

That year the ten-day Giro d'Italia Donne finished on July 10 and the Tour de France Femmes began just 14 days later on July 24. Van Vleuten was however more than capable in a year where she barely finished outside of the top five in every race she started. To make her achievement even more impressive, she won the Madrid Challenge by La Vuelta in mid September. Although at the time, the women's third Grand Tour was only five stages long.

This year the Giro d'Italia Women has moved and will start on May 30th, and finish on June 7th, giving riders eight weeks between the two races. This should mean the top GC riders in the women's peloton will ride both, giving more riders the chance to add their name to the list. Demi Vollering has already stated her 2026 aim is to complete the double.

Male riders who have achieved the Giro / Tour double

Fausto Coppi

'Il Campionissimo' needs no introduction. Fausto Coppi is one of the most iconic and legendary cyclists of all time and, long after his untimely death, his name still carries a mythical status in the sport given his extensive list of achievements during his career.

Coppi was the first rider to ever win the Giro/Tour double, and ended up winning both races in the same year on two different occasions.

The first occasion was in 1949 while riding for the Italian national team. Coppi initially sustained a huge time deficit in the Tour after crashing heavily in the earlier stages, but he would go on to claw the time back in the high mountains as the race progressed.

He went on to win the race’s penultimate day time trial in Nancy which ensured that he would triumph at the Tour, on debut, and become the first rider to achieve the Giro-Tour double in the same season in the process, a feat he would go on to match three years later.

Jacques Anquetil  

Five Tour victories and two Giro triumphs make up just part of the great Jacques Anquetil’s list of achievements, but 1964 was arguably the Normandy-born rider’s crowning moment of his career.

Anquetil had already won the Giro previously in 1960, but going into the Italian Grand Tour that year he was among a select group of foreign hopefuls for the maglia rosa who all had the potential to upset the home support looking to witness an Italian triumph in their own backyard.

Riding for the Saint-Raphaël team that eventually inspired the well known kit brand Rapha, Anquetil took a stage win early on which saw him pull on pink before holding it all the way through to the finish.

A few weeks later at the Tour, Anquetil was very nearly denied his fifth Tour victory by Raymond Poulidor, who pushed him all the way to the end, cutting Anquetil’s lead to almost nothing. But Anquetil would eventually prevail, beating Poulidor in the race’s final time trial to ensure that he would win his fifth and final Tour de France by 55 seconds and achieve the double.

Eddy Merckx

Eddy Merckx holds the record for the most Giro/Tour doubles achieved during his career, an achievement truly befitting of a man nicknamed the Cannibal.

The Belgian great first pulled off the double in 1970, before going on to add a second and third in 1972 and 1974. His first Giro d’Italia was arguably unexpected after he had suffered with a knee injury for much of the race and illness beforehand.

However, after winning stage two, Merckx then went on to win three more stages as his fitness developed during the race. He then won a second successive Tour de France later that summer. Merckx then held off several challenges in 1972 at the Tour from France’s Raymond Poulidor and Felice Gimondi of Italy in order to ensure that he landed yet another double. Merckx’s eventual winning margin stood at more than ten minutes.

Merckx’s 1974 Giro win was a closely run affair. The Belgian won the Corsa Rosa by just 12 seconds that year and was made to wait until stage 12 for his first victory of the race, a 25 mile individual time trial on stage 12. He then won the Tour by 8:04 ahead of Poulidor.

Bernard Hinault

'The Badger' is the next man to have completed the double on more than one occasion, winning both the Giro and Tour in 1982 and 1985. Remarkably, the French legend won nearly all of the Grand Tours he ever participated in.

During his career, he competed in three editions of the Giro and two editions of the Vuelta a España, winning all five races. Hinault also won on five out of eight appearances at the Tour de France, making him part of a select club of riders to have won the Tour on five occasions.

The 1982 Tour saw Hinault take four stages on his way to victory in Paris. Three of those were individual time trials, one being the race’s prologue in Basel, before he then went on to win the race’s final stage in Paris on the Champs-Élysées.

Three years later, the Tour was a much more closely run affair. Hinault only managed two stage wins - both coming in time trials once again, before going on to win the race overall by 1:42 ahead of his La Vie Claire teammate, Greg LeMond.

Stephen Roche

Stephen Roche is one of only two former pro cyclists to achieve the unthinkable, winning cycling’s triple crown - the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and road World Championships - all in the same season.

The Irishman only won the Tour on one occasion, but coming in the middle of his triple crown, it shouldn’t be underestimated. Interestingly Roche has previously said that it was never the plan to win all three events in the same year, everything just seemed to fall into place at the right time to enable him to do so.

Roche took the pink jersey during part b of the race’s first stage, a short individual time trial from the Poggio near San Remo into the middle of the town. The second part of the stage was a mere five kilometres in length, but that didn’t prevent Roche from laying down the law and claiming pink. Roche then won the final day longer time trial into Turin to wrap up the overall victory by more than three minutes.

Later that year, Roche was pushed all the way to the penultimate day time trial by Pedro Delgado during the Tour. Roche won an 87km time trial on stage ten before he then lost the yellow jersey with the end in sight. The Irishman clawed back enough time during the penultimate stage to pull on yellow once more ahead of the race wrapping up in Paris.

Miguel Induráin

Induráin is the only man to have ever completed the double in two consecutive seasons, winning both the Tour and Giro in 1992 and 1993. The Spaniard also won the Tour five years in a row with his time trialling prowess setting him well on the way to victory in each.

During his first Giro triumph, it was two time trial wins that got him over the line, including a 41 mile effort into Milan on the race’s final day.

Induráin then won all three of the Tour’s time trials later that year before eventually claiming yellow in Paris. He then replicated that accomplishment the following year, winning all four of the time trials on offer across both Grand Tours on his way to overall victory in each.

On retirement, Induráin’s stage win total stood at 16 in both the Giro and Tour with most of those being on aero bars. As well as his wins in both Italy and France, his time trial mastery also saw him claim the world title in 1995, before going on to land an Olympic gold medal in the discipline a year later.

Marco Pantani

Marco Pantani is possibly one of the most written about cyclists of all time, mainly due to his troubled private life which culminated in his tragic and untimely death in 2004 aged just 34.

In his prime, Pantani was regarded as being one of the sport’s very best climbers, with the sight of him dancing up the slopes of some of cycling’s most iconic peaks on his celeste blue Bianchi being a joy to behold. He was also well known for his pirate bandana and earring which he sported throughout his career, earning him the nickname 'Il Pirata'.

Prior to Pogačar’s victory, Pantani was the last man to complete the Giro/Tour double in 1998. In May that year, the boy from Cesenatico got his Giro off to a slow start as he shipped time in the early stages. But once his favoured terrain arrived, Pantani put the hammer down and soon had his rivals begging for mercy. Two mountain top stage wins at Piancavallo and Montecampione helped the Pirate eventually land the pink jersey in Milan.

Two months later the Tour began in Ireland with Chris Boardman winning the prologue and pulling on yellow. Pantani had to wait until stage 11 to Plateau de Beille to make his mark. The Italian obliterated his rivals to win the stage and set a record time for the ascent in the process. He was made to wait before he could pull on the yellow jersey, but victory on stage 15 at Les Deux Alpes, when leader Jan Ullrich suffered in the cold and rain through the mountains, was enough to see Pantani take the leader’s jersey and eventually win the Tour.

Controversy dogged the race that year, with the Festina doping scandal threatening to discredit the entire sport. Use of EPO was rife - Pantani was kicked off the 1999 Giro for having a high haematocrit (a measure used before a test for EPO was developed) - and the UCI was scrambling to keep up with the cheats. Rider protests threatened the Tour's very existence and many teams and riders were kicked out, or pulled themselves out. All of which left a cloud over Pantani's win.

Tadej Pogačar

It says everything about the Slovenian that he made the impossible look decidedly straight forward in 2024. Having already won Strade Bianche, the Tour of Catalunya, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège he breezed through the Giro d'Italia winning by nine minutes and 56 seconds (the biggest winning margin since 1965) from Daniel Martínez (Bora Hansgrohe), having worn the leaders pink jersey from stage two, taking six stage victories on the way and seemingly taking his foot off the gas in the final stages with his Tour challenge already in mind.

His Tour win was almost as dominant. He beat Jonas Vingegaard, who had won the previous two editions, by six minutes 17 seconds, took the yellow jersey on stage two, relinquished it on stage three only to win it back on stage four and wear it until the finish in Nice. And take six stages along the way.

Even though Vingegaard had a disrupted build up thanks to being caught up in a horrorific crash at the Tour of the Basque country that spring, Pogačar was clearly unbeatable. He then went on to become the third male rider in history to achieve the triple crown - winning the Giro, Tour and UCI road race world title in the same year. The latter with a jaw-dropping 101km break away.

He did however sit out the Paris Olympics that started just one week after the Tour, citing exhaustion. He also won the GP Cycliste de Montréal, Giro dell'Emilia and Il Lombardia before and after the world championships.

Female riders who have achieved the Giro / Tour double

Annemiek van Vleuten

Van Vleuten has won the Giro Donne on four occasions, but it was in 2022 that she won both the Giro and the Tour de France Femmes in the same year. She may not have won two three-week Grand Tours with just a month off in between, but she beat some formidable opposition on the way to her two victories. It is as good as you can get in women's cycling.

Looking at her Tour win in particular, she put the likes of Demi Vollering and Elisa Longo Borghini to the sword on the way to victory in the race’s inaugural edition, a landmark achievement for women’s cycling.

It was on stage three of the Giro that the Dutchwoman took her the first step towards her third overall victory. Van Vleuten won a hilly stage on a circuit around Cesena before going on to win in the mountains around Aldeno on stage seven which was enough to get the job done and secure the overall title.

During the Tour she had to leave it late to snatch the yellow jersey. Marianne Vos held the overall lead going into the final two mountain stages, but Van Vleuten wrestled it from her shoulders by taking wins at Le Markstein and Planche des Belles Filles.

Van Vleuten’s palmarès also matches any male rider on this list, particularly due to her four world titles and Olympic gold medal. She was simply a force to be reckoned with during her career and as a result, she thoroughly deserves her place alongside Pogačar, Merckx and company as a true winner of the Giro-Tour double.

Road racing in the United States isn’t what it used to be. Gone are the days when WorldTour riders travelled from Europe to the United States for world-class stage races.

“It’s kind of disappointing to see all those races gone,” says George Hincapie.

After a long and decorated career, the celebrated domestique retired from professional road racing in 2012. Hincapie raced in 17 editions of the Tour de France, playing an instrumental role in the victories of Lance Armstrong, Alberto Contador and Cadel Evans. He also earned a victory at Gent-Wevelgem in 2001 and was a three-time U.S. national road racing champion. In 2012, he admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs, which led to him being stripped of two years of race results between 2004 and 2006. However, Hincapie has remained involved in the sport through various ventures, including owning a cycling team, organising events, running a cycling apparel company and helping his son, Enzo, achieve his cycling goals.

Cycling Weekly spoke to Hincapie, now 51, at the debut of his new gran fondo event, Gran Fondo Hincapie - Bentonville.

“I know a rider like me always looked forward to coming home. You know, back in the day [there was] Tour of Georgia, Tour of Utah, Tour of Colorado, Tour of California. We had tons of racing that we could plan our year around, and unfortunately, they don’t have that anymore.”

But that doesn’t mean that road riding in the United States is dead or that the United States doesn’t have a strong road presence. Athletes like Brandon McNulty, Kristen Faulkner, Matteo Jorgenson, and Sepp Kuss are proving to be dominant players on the world stage.

“On the positive side, there are a lot of really good American pros that are doing incredible over in Europe,” states Hincapie. “I think it’s just going to get better and better so in that sense, cycling is in a really good state in terms of how strong our talent is. But we need more races for sure.”

As amatuer and professional road races around the U.S. are discontinued, it’s hard to wonder what pathway is left for American riders looking to make the leap to professional road racing. While NICA has created a strong junior pathway for mountain biking, and gravel events are putting more emphasis on junior riders, road racing has not had the same luck. It appears that concerns around safety are pushing more and more people off roads and onto dirt.

Hincapie, who began riding with his dad when he was a child, recognises that people still want to ride and race on the road. And if presented with the opportunity for safe and well-organized events, people of all ages are eager to show up. That’s why he’s so keen on organising mass start events like the new Gran Fondo Hincapie - Bentonville, where families with children as young as 6 years old came out to experience the inaugural event in September.

Hincapie, who's a father of two, is also investing heavily in junior cycling as a way to grow the sport. His son, Enzo, is hoping to follow in his footsteps of becoming a professional cyclist. The 16-year-old recently won his sixth national title at the 2024 US Road National Championships. While Enzo is now proving his dominance in the U.S. junior races, Hincapie did not pressure him into riding.

“When he was ten, he hated hit,” Hincapie recalls. “I hated it too when I was a kid and my dad would be like, ‘no we’re riding.’ Then I got into it. Enzo’s followed sort of the same path.”

As the co-owner of the Gran Fondo Hincapie events, Hincapie has made it a point to prioritise junior cycling development.

“We try to put a Junior Challenge on with every event,” says Hincapie. The Junior Challenge is a race within the Fondo that offers a $10,000 prize purse for the fastest female and male riders on the Medio course. Juniors can either go for the overall race win, which offers $1,500 to first place, or they can focus on the two timed segments and earn the QOM/KOM $500 prize.

“In Greenville, we will have a Junior Challenge, as well, where we get a really solid field. So we have that racing element to try to get juniors out there. And even if they’re not hardcore cyclists, to go do the event and see if they like it, I think it’s really important for the foundation of cycling in the U.S. to still have road events. And that’s what we [Gran Fondo Hincapie] specialise in. We want to continue to promote road cycling as much as possible.”

While the road scene has changed drastically since the days when Hincapie raced, people still care about road racing. Riders like Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel are animating the races and attracting the attention of 3.5 billion people worldwide. On the women’s side, more than 2 million spectators tuned in to watch each stage of the Tour de France Femmes.

Hincapie believes that in order to rebuild road cycling in the U.S., communities need to reinvest in it.

“I think this community [Bentonville] is really going to play a big role in it. They’re investing so much in cycling here, and they’re doing a lot to bring events like ours in," he says. "Hopefully, with some racing in the future. You see so many kids on bikes here.”

Hincapie believes that the future of road cycling in the U.S. is bright, better even than it was when he was racing 20 years ago.

“I was part of the dark era of cycling,” says Hincapie. “I think the sport is in such a better place now. [Athletes] will never be confronted with those decisions that we were. They’re so focused on nutrition, technology, altitude training. In many ways, they’ve surpassed the benefits of doping by technology.

The best teams. they have the training so dialled in, their nutrition so dialled in, which is a great thing. The focus on technology and the evolution of the sport and they’re getting faster and faster.”

So, how do you re-grow road cycling in the United States? You invest in the future and provide opportunities for the younger generations to flourish.

“I think having such good American talent, men and women, is going to help inspire a new generation of cyclists," says Hincapie.

"You always see that the better the pros do, the more it seems like younger guys get into it or get inspired. I think that’s going to really help and we’ll see a lot more talent head over to Europe. “

Pre-Vuelta a España favourite Primož Roglic slashed nearly two minutes off race leader Ben O’Connor’s margin on the summit finish of Puerto de Ancares.

The Slovenian attacked almost as soon as the double digit gradients of the final first category climb hit, swiftly distancing O’Connor (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale), who had started the day with a lead of 3.16.

GC contenders were spread all over the mountainside as the Australian battled to keep himself in the red jersey eventually shipping nearly two minutes to leave his lead over the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider at 1.21.

No one in the peloton had any hope of a stage win though as the break had been given a lead that ballooned up to 16 minutes. Out front, Canadian Michael Woods played his card cannily to take his first stage win at this year’s Vuelta a España.

The Israel-Premier Tech rider played it cool in the big breakaway of 23 riders watching at Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) shot off the front on every climb to claim the king of the mountains points.

He made his move with just over five kilometres to race on the double-digit gradients of the final climb.

Initially, Mauro Schmidt (Jayco-Alula) was able to go with him but the Swiss was soon distanced as the Canadian soloed to the line to claim his third career stage win at the Spanish grand tour.

Woods joins a list of stage winners that includes Alberto Contador and Joaquim Rodríguez, who won atop the 1,657m climb in 2014 and 2012 Vueltas a España respectively.

How it happened

The day’s breakaway of 23 riders built up a gap of over 12 minutes after 100km of racing.

Among those in the front group was Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike), who started the day level with Adam Yates (UAE-Emirates) at the top of the king of the mountains competition.

Yates wasn’t present in the break, and despite the efforts of his team-mates Marc Soler and Jay Vine, van Aert was able to hoover up the maximum points on the race’s early climbs taking his KOM lead out to seven points over Yates.

The first 100km were covered at an average of 44kph, significantly faster than the race organiser’s fastest predicted speed of 42kph. Deacthlon-AG2R La Mondiale did much of the pace setting in the peloton throughout the day, as is custom for the race leader’s team on a day like today.

Out front Van Aert picked-up the maximum points at the day’s intermediate sprint to lengthen his more than 80 point lead over Kaden Groves (Alpecin Deceuninck) in the green jersey competition.

The break began to fragment, mostly under the pressure of van Aert’s near ceaseless attack, as the race came into its hilly conclusion. On the day’s penultimate climb of Puerto du Lumeras the UAE-Emirates trio of Marc Soler, Jay Vine and Brandon McNulty attempted to get one of them away but they were shut down.

In the end the Belgian was the first of the front runners to crest the second category climb to give himself a 13 point lead over Yates.

There was drama on the descent as McNulty slid off the road, going under the Armco, on the descent causing his team-mate Vine to also crash. McNulty was bloodied but able to climb back up the bank to the road before remounting to ride to the finish.

That left a group of five made up of van Aert, Soler, Michael Woods (Israel-Premier Tech), Sam Oomen (Lidle-Trek) and Mauro Schmidt (Jayco-Alula) coming into the final climb of Puerto de Ancares together to contest the stage win.

As the gradient kicked up into the double digits with 5km left to race on the final climb Schmidt and Woods pushed clear. Of their breakaway companions. Woods soon dropped Schmidt to push on alone, his gap steadily extending.

Behind those contesting the stage, Movistar set the pace in the peloton, clearly trying to set up an assault on the GC by Enric Mas, who started the day third in the overall competition.

Mas was able to follow when Roglič attacked initially but as the climb ground on he was distanced with two kilometres to go.

 With four of the final five kilometres possessing gradients in the double digits the final first category climb of Puerto de Ancares was never well suited to O’Connor (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale).

O’Connor, paced initially be a team-mate, was fighting hard to limit his losses not just to Roglič but to other GC rivals including Ricahrd Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), Mas, Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) and Mikel Landa (Soudal-Quick Step).

As Roglič crossed the finish line O’Connor still had 500m left to ride. He crossed the line 1.54 behind his biggest rival.

Results Vuelta a España 2024 stage 13: Lugo > Puerto de Ancares (176km)

1. Michael Woods (Can) Israel-Premier Tech, in 4:19:51
2. Mauro Schmidt (Sui) Jayco AlUla, +45s
3. Marc Soler (Esp) UAE Emirates, +1:11
4. Sam Oomen (Ned) Lidl-Trek, +1:25
5. Wout van Aert (Bel) Visma-Lease a Bike, +2:56
6. Gijs Leemreise (Ned) dsm-Firmenich Post NL, +3:33
7. Jose Feliz Parra (esp) Euipo Ken Pharma, +5:19
8. Mikel Bizkarra (Esp) Euskatel-Euskadi, +5:38
9. Luca Vergallito (Ita) Alpecin Deceuninck, +5:59
10. Mathis le Berre (Fra) Arkea-B&B hotels, +6:15

General classification after stage 13

1. Ben O'Connor (Aus) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, in 51:10:15
2. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, +1:21
3. Enric Mas (Esp) Movistar, +3:01
4. Richard Carapaz (Ecu) EF Education-EasyPost, +3:13
5. Mikel Landa (Esp) Soudal Quick-Step, +3:20
6. Carlos Rodríguez (Esp) Ineos Grenadiers, +4:12
7. Florian Lipowitz (Ger) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, +4:29
8. Felix Gall (Aut) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, +4:42
9. David Gaudu (Fra) Groupama-FDJ, +4:44
10. Adam Yates (GBr) UAE Team Emirates, +5:17

For all Remco Evenepoel has tempered his occasional outbursts and matured into not just one of the sport's best communicators but one of the best bike riders in the world, fulfilling the promise he first showed after switching to cycling from football at the age of 17, he still needs criticism and doubters to fire him up, to power him towards yet more history.

And so, as he celebrated finishing third in his maiden Tour de France and winning the best young riders’ jersey, an emotional Evenepoel combatively took aim  at all those who have questioned whether he ever could attain the results that his cycling-mad home nation demand of him.

“You’re also from Belgium as well,” he said, addressing a question from a compatriot in the post-race press conference, “and everyone is always doubting me. I think from today on that should be finished. Finishing third behind the two best riders in the world with a big gap behind me [to fourth shows that] I’ve been on a very consistent level. It shows that I’ve made a step forward.”

It took six years being a professional before Soudal Quick-Step allowed Evenepoel to race the Tour, but the 24-year-old’s preparations were affected after he broke his collarbone in April. “I was in a rush to get into shape, and after the Dauphiné [in early June] there were again questions [about] whether we knew what we were doing," he said.

“It was my first Tour de France, there was a lot of pressure from my home country, a lot of work behind, and just delivering on my own race, not comparing with the two big boys, it’s something I am very proud of.

“Sometimes I think people don’t realise how much pressure can really lean on the shoulders with negative comments already starting from Paris-Nice where second place was not enough. So this is where the emotions and tears come from.”

Evenepoel finished more than nine minutes adrift of yellow jersey winner Tadej Pogačar, but became the first Belgian since Lucien Van Impe in 1981 to stand on the Tour podium properly (Jurgen Van den Broeck was belatedly awarded third place in 2010 after Alberto Contador’s suspension for doping). 

Though the time trial world champion reiterated on several occasions how he is currently still some way short of Pogačar and the man between them both, Jonas Vingegaard, he sees a future in which he could one day win the maillot jaune. “Being third in my first Tour de France is already pretty good, and that shows the base is there to maybe become a Tour de France winner once, but for sure the gap is still quite big,” he assessed.

“What do I need? I need to work on my capacities, more specific climbing training probably, maybe leaving the TT work a little bit on the side and really go for the longer climb, the bigger efforts, more specific training in altitude, all that knowledge we can use a bit more in the team.

“I think this is the first step and it’s already a pretty good one. I think I just need to become stronger, and I think this Tour will really help to build experience and to really feel how high the level actually is. In a few months we can re-look at the Tour and build from there.”

It’s two years since Evenepoel won the Vuelta a España, a victory that prompted the King of the Belgians to call him and was commemorated with a huge national celebration in Brussels. When he reflects on the period since then, a journey that has brought with it two world championship medals, a second Monument and several more GC and one-day victories, he only sees constant improvement.

“Being world champion is another level… [but] honestly, for me this podium is one of the highest achievements in my career,” he said. “My numbers are now way higher than what I did in the Vuelta. The level is higher in the Tour, and every year it’s the same: we go faster and faster, uphill, downhill, on the flat, in time trials, everything is faster and more powerful. Maybe this podium place for my future plans about becoming a a pure GC rider means more to me than winning the Vuelta.

“Of course winning a Grand Tour is very special, but like I mentioned, being behind the two best riders in the world, the winners of the last five Tours, this is like a victory for me. All the knowledge they have, this was all new for me, for us.

“I came here with the idea to do a top five, but in the end I have a clear top-three spot with the white jersey and a stage win. It comes on the same place and maybe a bit higher than my Vuelta victory.”

Tadej Pogačar will ride the Giro d'Italia in 2024, the race's organisers announced on Sunday afternoon.

In a tweet captioned "break the internet", RCS broke the news that the two-time Tour de France winning Slovenian will take part in the Italian Grand Tour for the first time. The 25-year-old has never not finished off the podium in the four Tours and one Vuelta a España he has taken part in so far.

It is unknown what the rest of Pogačar's year will look like as yet; the past two seasons have seen him tackle much of the Classics season before focussing on the Tour. The extra challenge in 2024 is the Paris Olympics, which follows straight on from the French Grand Tour. His calendar is due to be revealed by his UAE Team Emirates squad this week.

It seems unlikely that Pogačar will skip the Tour, given the race's outsized importance in the calendar; UAE will surely send their strongest squad. However, targeting both the Giro and Tour for general classification is a tough challenge for any rider, it has not happened since Marco Pantani completed the double in 1998.

The news of the Slovenian riding the Giro, for which he will now be an outstanding favourite, came rather out of the blue. Previously, he had downplayed the chance of riding the race, due to his main goals being the Tour, the Olympics, and the World Championships in Zurich. 

It is a coup for race organisers RCS, who can now claim to have the best bike rider in the world at their race, on the start list alongside another star in Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), and another former Tour winner in Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers).

Pogačar is no stranger to winning in Italy, taking three victories in a row at Il Lombardia, and previously winning Tirreno-Adriatico. The Giro is a different test, however, with a different character to the Tour or Vuelta.

2024's Giro d'Italia route contains the iconic Passo dello Stelvio, gravel sectors and a tough new climb, with two individual time trials, six mountain finishes and a final-week crescendo in the Dolomites.

When riders have set their sights on the Giro-Tour double in recent years, it has seemed too much; in 2018, Chris Froome won the Giro, and then came third at the Tour, while Alberto Contador won the Giro in 2015, and then came fifth at the French counterpart. It might be that Pogačar is aiming for stage wins at the Tour after a tilt at GC in Italy.

The Giro-Tour double has also been achieved by Fausto Coppi, Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.

Former Tour de France winner Alberto Contador was left needing facial stitches are a crash at a Vuelta a España event in China over the weekend.

The Spanish former rider was taking part in a group ride at the Vuelta's new event in Beijing, Desafío China by La Vuelta, when he was unable to avoid a crash in front of him.

He took to Instagram on Sunday to reassure fans after the incident, which saw the 40-year-old hit the road hard, taking the impact with his face. He was left with a bloodied face, which meant stitches to a cut on his left cheekbone. 

"Hi everyone. Today I went down on the Desafío China by La Vuelta," Contador said on Instagram. "There was a crash in front of me and, as much as I tried to jump over the rider in front of me, it was impossible.

"I'm sending this video to transmit calmness. Despite the images fortunately it's not as bad as it looks. Just a few stitches to the eyebrow, cheek, and lip. We'll keep on going."

Contador went on to thank fellow ex-pros Joaquím Rodríguez and Pedro Delgado for helping in the aftermath of the crash, thanking them for "giving me so much peace of mind and support in those moments". As well as the stitched cut, Contador was left with a black eye after the crash.

He won seven Grand Tours during his career. Since retiring from professional cycling, Contador has remained active in the sport, as a pundit on Eurosport in Spain, and also as a co-owner of ProTeam Eolo-Kometa. He also co-owns the Aurum bike brand, along with fellow Grand Tour winner Ivan Basso.

In December, he announced that he had 100 benign tumours removed.

The two-time Tour de France winner posted on his Instagram account with a video in which his entire legs and torso were swathed in bandages and he had sticking plasters on his arms.

"Yesterday it was time to go to the repair shop," the rider turned commentator wrote on his Instagram account. "I needed to get some lipomas removed and it turned out I had over 100! I won't be riding for a while."

Early on in yesterday’s stage 12 at the Tour de France, an inattentive owner allowed their dog to wander into the peloton causing a small crash involving stage one winner, Yves Lampaert (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl).

Lampaert, who took this year’s first yellow jersey, was left with a large bleeding wound on his right thigh after the incident. Crashing early on in the stage in unfortunate circumstances was far from ideal on a long day of climbing in the Alps for the Quick-Step rider. 

The Belgian rider finished more than 40 minutes behind the stage winner on Alpe d’Huez, Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers), and the effects of the incident were very visible. 

Reflecting on the incident Lampaert said: "Suddenly that beast crossed the street and I had no way out, I went crazy. Especially at the start of such a tough ride I could miss that.”

Stage 12 for Lampaert was meant to be about shepherding the winner of stage two, teammate Fabio Jakobsen, across the high mountains but instead he was forced to ride at his own pace and nurse his injuries hoping to make the time-cut. 

After crossing the finish line, the angry Belgian said: “After already many times; please keep your dog at home!!!!!”

The Tour de France has previously seen crashes caused by dogs wandering into the action. In 2007, German rider Marcus Burghardt of T-Mobile was unhurt after a dog caused him to fly over his handlebars. 

Apart from the incident involving Lampaert, no other crashes have been caused by negligence from those on the road side at this year's Tour. 

After the horrific pile-up last year involving the notorious ‘Allez Opi-Omi’ banner, spectators have, on the whole, respected the race this time around. Although, of course, climate change protesters did bring stage 10 to a temporary halt with a sit-down protest on the road.

POOCHES OF THE PELOTON

Unlike the instigator of Lampaert's crash, two well-behaved canines have been spotted amongst different team entourages at this year’s race. 

EF Education-EasyPost’s Alberto Bettiol had his beloved pooch, Piumo, at the stage 12 finish on Alpe d’Huez. 

Piumo came along to offer barks of encouragement to his master on the difficult stage. He was being looked after by former Paris-Roubaix winner, Andrea Tafi, at the finish line. Bettiol’s partner is the daughter of the famed Italian classics specialist. 

At the Arkea-Samsic team bus, another very well behaved boy has been spotted at this year’s Tour de France. 

Petrus, a black and tan Rottweiler cross belonging to sprinter Hugo Hofstetter, has made a cameo on three stages at the race, keeping his master company before and after long days in the saddle. 

Petrus has been the epitome of calm at the world’s biggest bike race, handling the pressure like the most experienced of pros as he keeps Hofstetter company outside the bus. Hopefully he offered up a cuddle of consolation to Hofstetter's teammate, poor old Warren Barguil, after he was caught on Wednesday’s stage to Col du Granon by Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma). 

The amount of people at the Tour isn’t a problem for Petrus. Hofstetter’s partner has brought him along to races before enabling him to cope with the crowds from an early age. 

Petrus really is a 21st century boy- he even has his own instagram profile. 

On his own social media channel he can be seen snoozing on the sofa, celebrating his birthday and playing in Christmas socks last December. 

"DON'T STAND ON MY DOG!" 

Former Tour de France champion Cadel Evans used to enjoy bringing his beloved dog Molly to races during his career. 

Molly hit the headlines at the 2008 Tour de France, becoming famous after a reporter very nearly trod on her tail. 

Evans, who was being interviewed after losing the yellow jersey on stage 15, famously shouted at the journalist after spotting the incident. 

“Don’t stand on my dog! I’ll cut your head off!”, the 2011 Tour de France winner said as he leapt to Molly’s defence. 

Multiple grand-tour winner Alberto Contador is another former rider who enjoys company from two giant grey dogs. 

The Spanish rider regularly posts videos and photos on social media of him enjoying walks and playing in the garden with his two pet Weimaraners. 

Meanwhile at this year’s race, if Hugo Hofstetter completes every sprinter's dream of winning on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, keep an eye out for Petrus joining in the final stage celebrations. 

Come on ASO, he’s been a good boy all race. Let him on the podium. 

Alberto Contador has claimed that the current peloton is one of the strongest cycling has ever seen, describing it as a "golden generation."

One of only two riders to have won all three Grand Tours more than once, Contador enjoyed a staggering amount of success during his 15-year career. Therefore, the Spaniard, who now works with Eurosport TV and with his team Eolo Kometa, possesses the perfect credentials to pass judgement on what he believes is an exciting time for the sport. 

Speaking to Spanish newspaper Ultima Hora, Contador said: “Cycling is living one of its best moments. We are before a golden generation. In whatever race or stage, we’re seeing ambition, with the big names fighting for victory. This is helping cycling have more impact and fans.”

Contador continues, claiming that Tadej Pogačar is the standout star among the current riders. Pogačar has already equalled the same amount of Tour de France wins that Contador managed in his career, with two wins at just 23 years old.

However, the Spaniard also recognises that the strength of competition means Pogačar will find it difficult to maintain such incredibly high standards, despite having plenty of room for improvement

He said: “Pogačar dominates the Tour and he’s the man to beat, especially after what he did last year. But every edition is different and there’s competition. Roglič had problems, so we’ll see how he is in 2022. 

"But I see a very strong Pogačar, with room to improve, and becoming more confident by his results, and he shows a spectacular level when he tries to win."

Women's cycling is also something that the seven-time Grand Tour winner focuses on, suggesting that seeing riders such as three-time Spanish national road race champion Mavi García is only a positive thing for the sport. 

Contador said: "Women's cycling is booming at the level of competition and media coverage. In Spain we have the case of Mavi García. She reflects that step forwards has been taken in Spain, and worldwide. The great professional teams have a female structure and there are more and better races shows the way and will surely motivate the younger riders."

Alberto Contador and Ivan Basso are the two of the most successful cyclists of their generation, and they now run Eolo–Kometa together, after starting the team in 2018.

The pair had cycled in the peloton for years together, and rode for the same team in 2015 at Tinkoff-Saxo, Basso's final year in professional cycling. The pair then joined up together again at the same team in 2017, following their moves to Trek-Segafredo. However, Basso had instead took up a support staff position, following his retirement. 

Once Spaniard Contador retired after 2017, the pair then began their own team, Eolo–Kometa. 

Following their team's final stage win of Zoncolan at the Giro d'Italia from Lorenzo Fortunato, Alberto decided to cycle the 1600km route from Pinto to Milan in six days a few weeks ago, fulfilling the promise he made during that incredible win for the team. 

However, the 38-year-old claims his physical condition is still as good as it was when rode professionally.

Alberto Contador told La Gazzetta dello Sport: "Last year during the lockdown I trained a lot. My physical condition was the same as when I retired.

"With a few extra pounds but with work I would have recovered them. There was a moment when I thought about going back. At one point I thought about coming back - for one race. The Giro. I wanted to ride Giro 2020.

"Then we (Contador and Basso) settled our heads."

Ivan Basso concluded that he will ride the same route if Eolo–Kometa win two stages at the next Giro, but may have to do so on an electric bike.

During the interview, the pair also make clear how highly they regard the Giro d'Italia, reminiscing on their memories of the gruelling stages. Basso also recounts a pivotal moment that Contador faced at the 2015 Giro, when the Spaniard was unable to stick with Astana rider Mikel Landa during one of the stages. 

Basso said: "In 2015 I began to feel fatigue, but we wanted to win that tour and Alberto was the strongest. I remember the Aprica stage. I gave him the wheel because the cars were far away. Obviously Astana (Mikel Landa) attacked.

"We tried to help Alberto but he found himself alone. I think it was one of the days when he struggled the most. There was two or three minutes of silence. 

"Finally he said to me, 'brother, they woke up the beast. Tomorrow they will see hell."

Contador duly went onto win the General Classification for the 2015 Giro d'Italia, his second career win of the event. 

Alberto Contador has set off on a 1,600km trek from Madrid all the way to Milan, to celebrate his team’s first Grand Tour stage victory.  

Eolo-Kometa, the Italian-registered but Spanish-based team set up by retired Grand Tour stars Contador and Ivan Basso, competed in their first three-week race earlier this year, the Giro d’Italia. 

Despite only stepping up to ProTeam level at the start of 2021, Contador’s team emerged from the Giro with a stage win on one of the toughest mountains in Italy, the Monte Zoncolan, as Lorenzo Fortunato took a stunning victory. 

Before the start of the 2021 edition of the Italian Grand Tour, Contador promised to take on his own mammoth cycling challenge if the team were able to beat the odds and win a stage - words he may have regretted as he watch Fortunato’s victory on the TV screen. 

On Monday (September 13), the 38-year-old set off on the first leg of his long-distance challenge, surrounded by a group of friends. 

The huge first ride was an impressive start, as Contador spent 10 hours and 39 minutes on the saddle, covering 368km from Madrid to Zaragoza. 

Contador, who retired from professional racing in 2017, said: “Today was one of the most beautiful days that I have spent on a bicycle, a beautiful stage lived among friends.” 

The Spaniard is becoming famous for his ultra-cycling challenges after his retirement, as he briefly held the Everesting record back in July 2020. 

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In August, he was forced to step off the bike during a brutal 240km ‘Everest’ Grand Fondo in Switzerland, admitting he wasn’t prepared for the event.

But he appears to have found his form once again, as he still has around 1,300km left to ride on his extraordinary celebration tour.  

Alberto Contador was forced to abandon the brutal ‘Everest’ Gran Fondo in Switzerland, admitting he wasn't prepared for the event.  

Contador, a retired Grand Tour winner who now competes on a variety of climbing challenges for fun, lined up at the Tour des Stations event, hoping to complete the 242km, 8,800m elevation gain course. 

This year’s ultrafondo event was dubbed the ‘The Everest,’ as riders climbed to the height of the highest mountain on earth. 

But the Spaniard was forced to step off the bike after almost eight hours and 167km, having completed 5,900m of climbing.

Contador, 38, uploaded his ride to Strava and gave some explanation about why he was forced to abandon the mass-participation event: “Crazy day leaving at 4am on the Tour des Stations. It was an ultrafondo for which I was not prepared. 

“Better luck next year.” 

The Tour des Stations is a notoriously tough event, with distances ranging from the 34km e-bike ride, all the way up to the ‘Everest’ event, touring the ski resorts in the Alps. 

This year’s fastest rider was Addy Raphael from Switzerland, who completed the course in nine hours and 27 minutes, while retired Swiss pro Steve Morabito also finished in the top-five, with a time of 10 hours and 19 minutes.  

The fastest female finisher was Eva Lindskog from Sweden, with a time of 11 hours and 46 minutes. 

Contador, who retired from the peloton in 2017, has since been taking on a number of climbing challenges. 

In 2019 Contador completed the 216km Tour des Stations route, totalling 7,000m of altitude gain and breaking his own climbing record for a single day.  

But last year he went a step further, briefly holding the Everesting record by climbing 8,800m on a single hill in seven hours and 27 minutes, before he was toppled by Ronan McLaughlin just days later. 

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Contador will be back on our TV screens during the Vuelta a España, as he forms part of the Eurosport broadcast team during his home Grand Tour.  

Multiple Grand Tour winners Alberto Contador and Ivan Basso have launched their own bike brand. Called Aurum, they say they’ve been discussing the launch for many years, looking to design the bike of their dreams independent of the teams and sponsors who determined their equipment in their pro racing days. The goal was to build a bike that sets the gold standard for high-end racers.

The duo's first machine is the Aurum Magma, which they describe as the ultimate racing road bike, regardless of route profile and conditions. The pair have persued the superlative in terms of aerodynamics, stiffness, comfort, weight and handling.  

“I’ve been eagerly awaiting this launch ever since Ivan and I began designing Magma. This very special frameset has been the focus of our efforts for such a long time. It’s something that we’re both truly personally invested in – we’ve spent so many hours riding it, fine-tuning it and thinking about how to make it better than all the sensational bikes we rode during our careers,” says Contador.

The Magma has been designed using CFD modelling and wind tunnel testing to optimise its aerodynamics. That includes cable routing from the bar into the front of the head tube, to reduce drag from the external cable runs, which Aurum calls the “head tunnel”.

Aurum says that the design is light and easy to maintain. It uses standard steel bearings rather than the more complex solutions often used to achieve internal cable routing. 

The Magma frame has a claimed weight of 805g for an unpainted size 54, with Aurum saying that’s a result of its higher moulding pressures, squeezing more resin out of the carbon fibre matrix to reduce weight.

As is becoming the norm with high end bikes, the Magma is disc brake only. With rim-brake stalwarts often using pro objections to the braking technology as their underpinning argument, this will certainly rattle a few cages. 

There’s a 1-⅛ inch to 1-¾ inch tapered headset for steering precision and an BB386Evo bottom bracket, to accept a wide range of cranksets. A plethora of brands - including Specialized and Trek - have moved to threaded BBs in recent months, setting the Magma against the current trend towards ease of home replacement. 

The frame can be set up with either mechanical or electronic shifting. Somewhat surprisingly, the seatpost has a conventional 27.2mm round profile rather than an aero cross-section. This does make replacements much easier for owners, though. 

The Aurum Magma can be purchased as a complete bike starting at €9799, with a menu of top spec components from Shimano and Enve, Shimano and Lightweight or SRAM and Zipp. 

There’s a frameset-only option too, priced at €4099. It’s available in six frame sizes from 50cm to 61cm and in either blue or black, with distinct geometry and tube profiles for each size to achieve consistent handling between sizes.

You can buy the Magma direct from Aurum via its website, aurumbikes.com.

As you’d expect from former pros, the Aurum Magma frameset is UCI approved. “Magma is the foundation for the Aurum brand, and it’s a foundation we’re hoping to build upon with more models in the near future,” says Contador, who used the Magma for his latest Everesting challenge."

Before launch the Magma has also been test ridden a total of 500,000km by 50 riders from the Fundacion Alberto Contador development teams.

Alberto Contador has been forced to rest and recover suffering a fracture in an accident at home.

The retired Grand Tour star is famed for holding his form long after he left the peloton, which helped him set a new Everesting record earlier this month.

But the 37-year-old has been forced off the bike after suffering a broken rib at home on Tuesday (July 21).

Contador said in an Instagram post: “Good and last training for a while – first time in my life I’ve broken a rib.

“Never happened to me despite the many times I kissed the asphalt at more than 50km/h, a hard hit at home and crack!

“Start the time trial to recover.”

The former winner of all three Grand Tours didn’t reveal how he suffered the injury however.

Contador has continued to inspire after he retired from professional racing in 2017, as he is still in formidable form on the bike.

The Spaniard has officially been crowned Everesting record holder with a time of seven hours, 27 minutes and 20 seconds – just two minutes faster than the record set by Morton in June.

Contador completed the brutal climbing challenge on the 13 per cent slopes of Silla del Rey, a 0.9km-long climb north of Madrid in central Spain.

Opting for a shorter climb than most, Contador had to ride 78 laps to reach the required 8,848 metres of altitude gain.

He had to ride a relatively short 148km to complete the challenge, compared with Morton’s 159km.

Australian pro Morton (EF Pro Cycling) put in a staggering ride last month to officially claim the record, just a week after he failed an attempt due to faulty elevation data.

The 28-year-old rode the Rist Canyon climb in Colorado, a 1.6km, 11 per cent climb which sits at 2,200m above sea level.

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But Morton has been forced to pass the title over to Contador, who has now officially been confirmed as the record holder by Hells 500, the organisation which oversees Everesting attempts.

The Everesting records continue to tumble as Lachlan Morton has now lost his title after three weeks.

This time it’s retired Grand Tour legend Alberto Contador who has taken the record, proving he isn’t rusty even after three years away from the peloton.

Contador, now 37, has officially been crowned Everesting record holder with a time of seven hours, 27 minutes and 20 seconds – just two minutes faster than the record set by Morton in June.

The Spaniard completed the brutal climbing challenge on the 13 per cent slopes of Silla del Rey, a 0.9km-long climb north of Madrid in central Spain.

Opting for a shorter climb than most, Contador had to ride 78 laps to reach the required 8,848 metres of altitude gain.

He had to ride a relatively short 148km to complete the challenge, compared with Morton’s 159km.

Australian pro Morton (EF Pro Cycling) put in a staggering ride last month to officially claim the record, just a week after he failed an attempt due to faulty elevation data.

The 28-year-old rode the Rist Canyon climb in Colorado, a 1.6km, 11 per cent climb which sits at 2,200m above sea level.

But Morton has been forced to pass the title over to Contador, who has now officially been confirmed as the record holder by Hells 500, the organisation which oversees Everesting attempts.

This week also saw the women’s Everesting record fall, as British former pro Emma Pooley smashed the previous fastest time.

Pooley took on the 13 per cent average Haggenegg climb in Switzerland on Wednesday (July 8), completing 10 laps of the 6.7km-long climb to rack up the 8,848 metres.

The 37-year-old set a new fastest time to climb the high of Everest on a bike, with eight hours, 53 minutes and 36 seconds – beating the previous record set by Hannah Rhodes in June, nine hours and eight minutes.

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Everesting has become a hugely popular challenge in 2020, as both amateurs and professionals have been looking to keep themselves motivated with racing suspended due to coronavirus.

Lance Armstrong and Johan Bruyneel have both weighed in on the 2009 feud between Armstrong and his team-mate Alberto Contador.

Both Armstrong and Contador were targeting victory in the 2009 Tour de France while riding for Astana, and after an internal power struggle the Spaniard emerged as champion, with Armstrong finishing third, five minutes back.

In a recent interview with YouTuber Valentí Sanjuan, Contador recalled the battle inside the team, which included Armstrong telling his team-mate “don’t f*** with me.”

Armstrong said in a video posted on Instagram: “There has been a little buzz in the cycling world a bout a recent interview that Alberto Contador did and I’ve been asked a lot to comment on this.

“But there really is no comment. What I will say, and I guess this is a comment, so I will say, is the best man won in 2009.”

Tension started in the opening week of the 2009 Tour, when Armstrong benefitted from a split in the peloton and usurped Contador as Astana’s best-placed rider.

Contador then attacked on stage seven to overtake Armstrong once again, with the Texan later saying the move wasn’t part of the plan, with Contador  later securing the win in the stage 18 time trial.

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Speaking on ESPN show El Leñero Johan Bruyneel, the manager of Astana at the time, also responded to Contador’s interview, saying: “I don’t want to attack Contador, I simply want to show my version as a director.

“I was the person in charge of the team and I don’t know if it was a director criticism of me or not.

“All my decisions were in favour of Astana, not team Armstrong or team Contador team. I knew that in 95 per cent of cases our best card to play was Contador, because at that time he was the best.”

Contador, who retired in 2017, went into the race as overall favourite having won the 2007 Tour de France and the Vuelta a España and Giro d’Italia in 2008. Armstrong, at the time a seven-time Tour de France winner, had returned from a four-year retirement in 2009 with the ambition of adding to his record.

In 2012, long-standing allegations of doping by Bruyneel and Armstrong were proven true and the rider was stripped of all seven Tour de France titles, as well as the third place finish in the 2009 Tour.

Both Bruyneel and Armstrong have been banned from cycling for life.

Alberto Contador is selling his special edition bike from the 2011 Giro d’Italia and Tour de France.

The retired Grand Tour star is raising money for the Spanish Red Cross during the global coronavirus pandemic, and has decided to sell his custom Specialized Tarmac to raise funds.

Contador crossed the line first in the 2011 Giro, but was later stripped of the win and his position in the Tour that summer after being banned for doping.

Despite being stripped of the results, Contador said the bike is very special to him.

In an Instagram post, the Spaniard said: “Hello everyone, we are still fighting with this Covid-19 and I want to make one more effort, I think there is no better time than now. I'm going to auction this bike, original Giro-Tour 2011 very special for me, the proceeds will go entirely to [the Spanish Red Cross] .I will do it through eBay.

“A big hug.”

The bike, complete with a custom paint job showing the colours of the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España, currently has 63 bids on eBay and is up to €12,400 (around £10,000).

Contador has posted a video of the bike on his Instagram account, also revealing his staggering collection of bikes from his career kept in his basement.

The 2011 bike may seem a strange choice for Contador, as he was stripped of all of his results from that season after he was handed a two-year doping ban the following year.

Contador is not the only rider involved in offering helping during the coronavirus pandemic.

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Team Ineos rider Luke Rowe offered a kind donation of a new bike to an NHS doctor whose bike was stolen while he worked in the intensive care unit.

Rowe’s team-mate Michał Kwiatkowski has offered his apartments out free to health staff who need a place to live or self isolate during the global crisis.

Alberto Contador has been admitted to hospital in Bogotá, Colombia, with a fever and severe gastrointestinal problems.

The 36-year-old was in Colombia to take part in the Giro de Rigo, a cycling event being promoted by EF Education First's Rigoberto Urán, but confirmed in a video appearance that he would no longer be able to take part.

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"I regret not being able to take part in the Giro de Rigo," Contador said. "I had trained with great enthusiasm and travelled [to Colombia] with great enthusiasm but during the trip I began to feel ill, suffering from very high fevers."

The Spaniard says he expects he may have suffered a severe form of food poisoning after eating something that did not agree with him.

"I must have eaten something contaminated. Now we are trying to stabilise [me]," Contador said.

The seven-time Grand Tour winner will remain in hospital in Bogotá for the next 48 hours as doctors continue to observe his condition.

Other pro riders set to take part in the Giro de Rigo include Tour de France 2019 winner Egan Bernal (Ineos), Esteban Chaves (Mitchelton-Scott), Sergio Higuita (EF Education First), Daniel Martínez (EF Education First), Sergio Henao (UAE Team Emirates) as well as former pros Luis Herrera and Iván Basso.

In August, Contador broke his own climbing elevation record at an Alpine endurance race, having continued to enjoy riding his bike despite retiring from the professional peloton in 2017. The Spaniard ascended more than 7,000m in the gruelling nine hour Tour des Stations at an average speed of 23.4km/h.

A number of former riders have been hospitalised recently, Eddy Merckx spent a week in hospital after suffering a haemorrhage following a bike crash during a Sunday ride with friends. The Belgian's former rival Roger De Vlaeminck then found himself in intensive care with a fever, while Raymond Poulidor also spent time in hospital to receive treatment.

Despite retiring two years ago, Alberto Contador hasn't lost his competitive streak.

The double Tour de France winner is a regular Strava user and often posts updates showing him still enjoying riding his bike after years spent in the professional peloton.

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His latest ride, though, was really quite impressive and the sort of effort you'd expect from a multi-Grand Tour winner.

Competing in the ultra endurance event the Tour des Stations, Contador climbed more 7,000m of elevation in a 216km ride, which took just over nine hours.

At an average speed of 23.4km/h, the Spaniard reached up to 80km/h on the descents with an estimated average power of 206 watts.

He set multiple personal records during the ride, as well as taking second and third place on many climbing sections.

The Tour des Stations takes place in Valais, Switzerland, and 2019 was only the second edition of the endurance race, which was launched last year.

Over 2,000 riders participated, with the option to choose from three elevation options, 7,400m, 4,700m or 2,000m.

Contador came eighth overall, finishing 38 minutes down on Italian Fabio Cini. Despite not challenging the podium places the 36-year-old said it was a new record number of metres ascended in one day.

Contador said: "We have a new record of meters ascended in one day! What a madness the Tour des Stations is, so happy to do it and with good sensations!"

Contador will next ride his own Gran Fondo, taking place near Valencia, Spain on 21 September.

Last October, Contador took the Strava KOM record on the feared Bola del Mundo climb west of Madrid.

He rode the 3.29km distance in just over 15 minutes, one and a half minutes faster than the previous record time.

Albero Contador has said he can't see Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) winning the Tour de France, saying the Frenchman will ignite the race and entertain on his way to Paris, but will ultimately not be able to compete when the race reaches the high mountains.

"He is a very good racer, like Jalabert, who can fight and even win a Grand Tour, but I can hardly see him winning the Tour," Contador said.

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The Spaniard highlights stage 13's time trial in Pau as the next venue of the battle for the yellow jersey, taking place between Alaphilippe and Geraint Thomas (Ineos), who currently sits 1-12 behind in second.

Although saying the yellow jersey may give Alaphilippe the extra motivation to ride a competitive race against the clock, the real test for the Frenchman will come in the mountains, with the summit finish at the Tourmalet a particular danger, where big time losses are a real possibilty.

Although Contador highlights the defending champion as the rider who will take the yellow jersey off Alaphilippe, he believes the Welshman's Ineos team-mate Egan Bernal will continue to be in the mix right up until the end due to the unpredictable nature of the race.

"Ineos are going to try and keep two options alive as they did last year," Contador said, "and Bernal is not only there for something to do during July, this guy was born to win the Tour de France and has the potential to do so."

The two-time Tour winner stands by his pre-race prediction that Bernal is the "clear favourite" to win the 2019 edition, saying this year's race will be the most open Tour in years, and that Bernal will emerge victorious, with Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) second and Thomas third.

His pick of the Spanish contingent is Enric Mas (Deceuninck - Quick-Step), lamenting Mikel Landa's (Movistar) crash on stage 10, which saw his GC ambitions effectively end.

"I think he can show off what he can do and have a great Tour, but to recover more than four minutes against most of the favourites I see being very complicated, we will have to see his fitness."

Alberto Contador has backed Egan Bernal (Ineos) to win the 2019 Tour de France saying the young Colombian is the "clear favourite" to be in yellow on the Champs-Élysées after three weeks of racing.

The Spaniard has said this year's Tour will be the most open race in years, with three of last year's top four not taking the start line in Brussels on July 6, and added this could cause a changing of the guard in terms of the riders who will go on to contest future Grand Tours.

>>> Thomas or Bernal? Which rider should Team Ineos back for Tour de France glory?

Chris Froome (Ineos) and Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb) will both miss this year's race through injury after finishing on the podium last year while Primož Roglič, who finished fourth last year, makes way in the Jumbo-Visma squad for Steven Kruijswijk to have a crack at the GC after Roglič faltered in the third week of the recent Giro d'Italia.

"I think we are facing the most open Tour of recent years, there is no clear favourite if you look at the odds," Contador told Spanish newspaper Marca, "we are witnessing a generational change and new winners may emerge, with the casualties of Froome and Dumoulin making it even more open."

Of the top four on last year's GC, only the defending champion Geraint Thomas (Ineos) lines up this year. After the Welshman crashed out on stage four of the recent Tour de Suisse, his team-mate Egan Bernal took over leadership responsibilities and won the race comfortably.

"Egan is undoubtedly one of the great favourites and not only because of his triumph in Switzerland but because wherever he goes it is a sure victory, and he also has a great team that works very well for him," Contador said. "But he already knows the race, last year he did well and will fight for the victory."

Bernal finished 15th at the 2018 Tour de France, proving to be Geraint Thomas' key mountain domestique as the Welshman rode to his first Grand Tour victory. In 2019 Bernal then went on to pick up to stage race wins at Paris-Nice and the Tour de Suisse.

Contador believes Bernal is destined for greatness regardless of whether he wins the Tour this year, saying "his future capability is frightening and his quality as a rider is already a reality".

Despite Bernal being only 22 years old, Contador, who himself won his first Tour de France title aged 24, says that youth will not hold the young Colombian back.

"The experience factor can play a part, but Egan Bernal has a great team, the most powerful, and a quality he has already demonstrated," Contador said. "I was 24 years old and he is now 22, but when you go from amateur to professional and you know your skills, your watts, there are more ways to know your limits, so the adaptation is shortened. He is young but has a solid base, and is a clear favourite."

While Geraint Thomas was left relatively unscathed by his crash and quickly returned to training to prepare for the Tour, Chris Froome's accident resulted in the four-time Tour champion facing six months off the bike as he was placed in intensive care after his crash at the Critérium du Dauphiné.

Contador has backed Froome to make a full return and get back to the level required to challenge for a record-equalling fifth Tour de France title.

"I think he will return to the top level," Contador said, "he is a competitive rider at all levels and he will recover fully, as shown by Alejandro Valverde in 2017 or myself in 2014."

Andy Schleck has described winning a Tour de France on paper and not on a bike as "bull***t", and that it took him a long time to accept the reality of his 2010 Tour de France win, saying he believed "Alberto did something he shouldn't have done even if he denies it still."

Andy Schleck finished second to Alberto Contador at the 2010 Tour by 39 seconds, and was retroactively awarded the win in 2012 after Contador was found guilty of doping, with the Spaniard protesting his innocence and maintaining he ingested the banned drug clenbuterol via a contaminated steak.”

In an interview with Belgian sports network Sporza, Andy Schleck says people caught doping shouldn't be allowed to paint themselves as the victims, saying: "We take people who get caught doping, 99% of them stand there and say it was the system, it's not my fault, it was the pressure.

"People who are alcoholic, you ask them why did they start drinking. They say 'I had a tough time at work or my wife left me she's sleeping with a gardener.' That's all excuses, they all stand there in that position like they are a victim but they're not you know.

"You have to see it from different perspectives. I can say today I didn't win the Giro because Danilo Di Luca was doping [Schleck finished second to Di Luca at the 2007 Giro d'Italia], which is true in one way. But you know I don't even go there, I haven't said that before, you're hearing me say that now for the first time."

Considering his staunch anti-doping stance, Schleck is asked about his purported different views on cycling to his ex-team boss Johan Bruyneel. The Luxembourger and Bruyneel were thrown together after the sudden merger of the Leopard and RadioShack teams. Bruyneel was the team boss behind Lance Armstrong's seven Tour de France victories, and left his post in RadioShack-Nissan while still waiting for his USADA hearing.

When asked whether these contrasting views extended to ethical differences Schleck said: "If you are at all related now to a doping programme or anything that is not within the rules, then no.

"There was never any conversation or anything in that direction, at least not with me. If there would have been I would not have shared that idea at all.

"I honestly think with Lance and everything, when the s**t hit the fan, I really believe there were a lot of team directors and team managers who were dodgy before said 'hey we can do it clean'.

"People might believe me or not, people judge anyway, but I was the perfect example. People like Johan Bruyneel, people know that you can win without any help or shortcut."

Spanish Grand Tour star Alberto Contador, now retired, says he no longer feels a "slave to dieting" trying be fit for races like the Tour de France.

Contador retired ahead of the 2018 season with seven Grand Tour victories, including the 2007 and 2009 Tour, in his palmarès.

"I miss the taste of competition, because I'm a born competitor," Contador told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"However, I'm finally not a slave to dieting. You had to always be careful, at the limit... Then there was the tension in the races and the fear of crashes."

Several crashes marked Contador's Grand Tour runs. Three separate crashes led to knee problems in the opening week of the 2011 Tour.

He won 2008 and 2015 editions of the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España in 2008, 2012 and 2014 in addition to his 2007 and 2009 Tour titles. His 2010 Tour and 2011 Giro wins were stripped due to an anti-doping case.

At 34 years old in 2017, after ninth overall in the Tour and fifth in the Vuelta, he retired.

"I left in the perfect moment, still on top, and keeping a fantastic memory even in the last days," he said.

Contador retired after the 2017 Vuelta, where he won the final mountain stage to Angliru.

"I could have continued for two or three years, I had good options... But you know projects in personal life, like that of becoming a father, demanded their space."

In his free time now, he manages a team and commentates for television. Often, he is talking about Team Sky, with their Grand Tour star Chris Froome aiming for a record-equalling fifth Tour title in 2019.

"Yes he can [win a fifth title]. He has it in his legs as well as having a team like Sky that I imagine will be by his side after Thomas took good advantage of his chance last year. Chris has many possibilities."

Froome will skip the Giro, which he won in 2018, and aim directly at the Tour in 2019. Team Sky is heading to the Giro with 22-year-old Colombian promise Egan Bernal. Contador said he is already ready to win the Giro in his first participation this May.

"Yes. For me he is truly strong!" Contador continued. "His potential and capacity are scary."

And on the prediction that Bernal wins the Giro and Froome the Tour: "I would say so."

Contador has not completely left his own bike-riding days behind him, however. It was announced this week that he is to wear the coveted '312' dossard at the 10th edition of the Mallorca 312 gran fondo this April 27 and will ride the full 312km route.

Alberto Contador, one year on from retirement, believes cycling would be a better show without power meters in the races.

The Spaniard retired after the 2017 Vuelta a España won by Chris Froome. His palmarès includes seven Grand Tour titles.

Now, and when racing, he called for cycling to ban power meters in competitions.

"I think you are looking for solutions to regain the attacks and courage [to attack]," Contador told Spain's AS when asked about a ban. "It's a fundamental piece of equipment to improve your level and training, it's necessary.

>>> Watts the problem? Pros give their views on proposed power meter ban

"It's another thing in the races because I think you could do without them. It would be good for the show, it would sharpen the riders' instincts. You do not know how much control there is. They limit the show a lot."

The governing body experimented with a block on two-way radios used between team-mates and directors in past years. A similar trial could take place, and is needed according to Contador.

Many point to Team Sky. Contador and others suffered under the team's reign in the past decade, with British team controlling races with strength and smarts. Critics say they ride a tempo based on the power and watts of their rivals' attacks that reels in any threats and thwarts any others.

"Defeating the Sky is possible, but it is difficult. The power meter changes things," Contador said. "They are also the team with the most budget... But it is also true that they work very well."

Froome in the past defended himself against critics who said that he rides to the numbers. He explained that he is "aware of the numbers" but rides "more on feeling."

An example could have been his attack solo with 80.3 kilometres remaining on stage 19 of the Giro d'Italia in May. With his move over the Colle delle Finestre, he clawed back time and moved into the race lead for the eventual overall win two days later.

The UCI governing body is researching ways to make cycling more of a "show" for its roadside and television fans. Already ahead of the 2018 season, they cut the team roster size for races.

"We are doing research because there are many aspects," UCI President David Lappartient said in August. "Should we ban the ears and the wattage meters for more initiative? Should we reconsider the number of stages? We have to analyse everything."

Alberto Contador may have hung up his wheels at the end of last season, but the seven-time Grand Tour champion still seems to be in pretty good shape by the looks of a ride he uploaded to Strava on Wednesday.

Contador is working for Eurosport on this year's Tour de France, and took the opportunity to put down a marker on the Col de Portet on Wednesday morning, the final climb that the current pros would tackle later that day at the end of stage 17.

Riding a Trek Madone Disc and still looking pretty lean, the Spaniard powered up the 16km climb at an average speed 17.4kmh - seriously rapid when you consider the average gradient of more than eight per cent.

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Contador also shared a photo of his Garmin stats of the ride, showing that he averaged a whopping 373 watts for the 55 minute effort. However this is still some way off the 458 watts that he managed in a 20-minute threshold test while at the peak of his powers a few years ago.

Whether Contador went out to smash it up the climb to see how he compares with the current crop of riders even in retirement, we don't know, but his time certainly held up pretty well when the race went up it a few hours later.

Watch: Tour de France stage 17 highlights

Granted, the riders in the Tour had already tackled two mountain passes on the day and had 16 days of fatigue in their legs, but astonishingly Contador's time was only beaten by two riders on Strava.

Unsurprisingly it was Steven Kruijswijk who set the fastest time on Strava, climbing in yellow jersey group and finishing sixth on the stage to knock more than five minutes off Contador's KOM, while the French climbing duo of Romain Bardet and Warren Barguil also went faster as they finished 13th and 16th on the day.

>>> 'A beautiful stage with great racing': Teams reflect on the Tour de France's shortest stage

However the rest of the riders from the Tour peloton who are on Strava were not able to better Contador's time, with the 35-year-old climbing the mountain faster than the likes of Robert Gesink, Simon Geschke, Damiano Caruso, and Laurens Ten Dam.

As for some of those at the back of the field, Thomas De Gendt appears to have been the slowest of the pros up the climb, clocking a time that was 15 minutes slower than Contador had managed in the morning.

Recently retired Alberto Contador would like to see the Chris Froome salbutamol case speed along instead of extending well into the 2018 season and next month's Giro d'Italia.

Contador retired after 2017 Vuelta a España that Froome won. During the race, Froome tested for double the allowed limit of asthma drug salbutamol. The case is still ongoing and could see Sky's Grand Tour star serve a ban of up to two years.

>>> Giro d’Italia 2018: Seven key stages that will decide the race

"One thing is clear, if the authorities that rule over this sport allow him to race then it's normal that Froome is competing," Contador told Spain's AS.

"What is a pity is that it is taking so much time for this case."

Froome failed the test at the end of stage 18 on September 7, and went on to win the Vuelta a España, following his fourth Tour de France title in July. The test result only became public on December 13.

Time has passed due to the complications of the case. Froome is reportedly trying to show that his body did not manage the asthma drug well so that he somehow had high amounts – 2000, well over the allowed limit of 1000 nanograms per millilitre (ng/ml).

Once the case is referred to the UCI's anti-doping tribunal, the judge will establish a time limit for the case and give Froome at least 15 days to submit his defence. The ruling could come quickly afterwards, but a decision will likely be appealed by Froome's team in the case of a guilty verdict or by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in the case that the judge rules in Froome's favour, with a final decision made in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Spaniard Alberto Contador knows the process well as he tested positive for Clenbuterol in the 2010 Tour de France and continued to race. A ruling later stripped him of his results including the 2011 Giro d'Italia victory. Froome, it's understood, would not take a back-dated ban if one came and any results since the Vuelta would stand.

"They need to take a decision," RCS Sport's cycling director Mauro Vegni said last month.

"The process is too long. Every time that something happens we have to wait a year to have a decision. Maybe it's time to look into changing the rules."

Froome is one of the favourites for the Giro d'Italia, May 4 to 27, along with defending champion Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb). Contador will commentate on the race for Spanish Eurosport.

"The Dutchman is the big favourite with Froome but the Italians always manage to have an impact on this race," Contador continued.

"Miguel Angel López should be watched. The Spaniards? Marc Soler [Movistar], if he races, he can do big things. While David De La Cruz will be working for his team leader [Froome].

"The Giro is the race that I miss the most. It just feels like everything cycling should be, with an informed public and so much passion. I don't miss cycling so much, but I still continue to ride three or four days a week."

The Giro d'Italia is in no mood to have another rider race while under investigation and facing a possible suspension.

Referring to the Chris Froome situation, RCS Sport cycling director Mauro Vegni says that such an incident like that with Alberto Contador in 2011 "must no longer be repeated."

>>> Tony Martin ‘totally angry’ at ‘double standards’ in Chris Froome salbutamol case

Contador, under investigation for a clenbuterol positive anti-doping control at the Tour de France, raced the Giro and won.

That 2011 title was stripped later and given to Michele Scarponi when officials issued Contador a ban.

Froome is due to race the 2018 Giro d'Italia after winning the 2017 Tour de France and Vuelta a España this summer.

"I firmly believe that Contador's was a unique affair, which must no longer be repeated," Vegni told Tutto Bici website.

"Cycling can not afford such a situation: if a cyclist can race, he has the right to do so in full power, to win or lose with certainty. And I believe that in this case, the UCI must assume its responsibilities."

The UCI and Froome are discussing the high 2000 nanograms per millilitre (ng/ml) reading of asthma drug salbutamol from the Vuelta a España. The limit for the drug is 1000.

Froome will have to show there was an error or physiological reason for the high reading to avoid a suspension. The case could rumble on for some time with any UCI ban likely to be followed by an appeal from Froome's camp to the CAS high court of sports.

The case bursts the pink balloons that floated so high just a couple of weeks ago when Vegni announced at the 2018 Giro route presentation that Froome would attend.

"Of course, it's never nice when you have to resort to a courtroom or a research laboratory," Vegni said of Froome's fight. "I think it is right and sacrosanct to maintain a high level of attention to ensure maximum credibility to cycling.

"From our position as one of the largest organisers in the world, I say that it is the timing of the story that leaves me perplexed.

"Perhaps we are simply unlucky, but as soon as we announce with great fanfare the presence of Froome at the next Giro ... boom, the sky falls."

Froome, according to a Cycling Weekly insider, is set to receive around €2 million from the Giro and organiser of the Big Start in Israel for racing the 2018 edition.

Any deal, which Vegni denies, would have been hatched with Team Sky already knowing about Froome's high test for salbutamol.

Recently retired Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo) says that cycling's technological leap forward is one of the biggest changes he saw since the time he turned professional 15 years ago.

The Spaniard from Madrid's outskirts retired this summer after finishing the Vuelta a España with a stage win at Angliru.

>>> Team Sky DS Nicolas Portal slams cuts to team sizes for 2018

"Can you imagine racing up 30 per cent grades in Miguel Indurain's time? You only have to see the changes in gearing that we use now. For the Angliru you can use a 34x32," Contador told AS newspaper.

"I remember the images of cyclists destroyed or who could not climb. And on the flat, the same, you have a gear of 53 and you see that you are unable to keep up. We are mounting 54 or 55 rings."

Contador conquered the Grand Tours and retired with seven titles. Two titles, one from the Giro d'Italia and one from the Tour de France, were stripped as part of a doping ban.

Given cycling's difficulties, manufacturers must look at ever weight-saving or aerodynamic advantage. Bikes even weigh less than the minimum weight of 6.8 kilograms.

"So light that you have to add weights to reach the 6.8-kilogram limit. And in aerodynamics it's the same," Contador said.

"There is a lot of talk about motorbike racing and I notice sometimes that they overlook details, such as exposed cables. In cycling, they are tucked in. In this aspect, we are more advanced."

Contador won the Angliru summit finish and retired the next day when the Vuelta a España pulled into Madrid. Chris Froome (Sky) won the overall. The road on the famous climb reaches gradients of 23.5 per cent, prompted Contador to once say it was the hardest he faced.

Watch: Is the Grand Tour leader's skinsuit a disadvantage?

"Maybe it's the Monte Zoncolan [in Italy]. But that's evolution that we are talking about, these wild gradients. Before, 20 per cent seemed super-human."

Contador faced allegations of motorised cheating after the 2015 Giro d'Italia, where he switched wheels with his team-mate Ivan Basso ahead of the Mortirolo climb. He clawed back his rivals including Fabio Aru quickly after to save his overall lead.

Afterwards, L'Equipe newspaper reported Basso continued on the wheel even though Contador said he had punctured.

Video footage also emerged showing his mechanic after the stage adjusting his wristwatch and spinning the bike's wheel. Contador refutes claims cheating occurred in the professional races.

"I can't believe that they existed in the professional races," he said. "I'm not saying that in amateurs, for example, that type of cheating occurs. But in the Tour de France? It has not crossed my mind."

Despite having only retired from professional cycling last month, Alberto Contador has been tempted to get back on his bike for one last race.

Contador will take part in the first edition of Le Tour de France Škoda China Critérium on October 29.

The Spaniard will appear alongside 2017 Tour winner Chris Froome (Team Sky), Warren Barguil (Team Sunweb), Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing) and Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors).

The race is a standard criterium format, taking place on a three-kilometre circuit in Shanghai. Twenty laps of the route will give spectators the maximum opportunity to see the big stars many times over.

>>> Alberto Contador: ‘I could have won all three Grand Tours in the same year’

There will be no big mountains to allow Contador or Froome to engage in one final climbing contest, but there's a relatively high chance that they will be involved in a crowd-pleasing attack or possibly be involved in the sprint finish.

The event is being been put on by Tour organiser ASO in conjunction with local organisations.

Watch: Highlights of Alberto Contador's win on stage 20 of the 2017 Vuelta a España

Contador closed out his Grand Tour career at the 2017 Vuelta a España riding for Trek-Segafredo, where he memorably won the final mountain stage of the race on the summit finish of Alto de l'Angliru.

The 34-year-old ends his career with two Tour de France overall wins, two in the Giro d'Italia and three in the Vuelta.

Trek-Segafredo lacked time to hire another Grand Tour star to fill the spot left by Alberto Contador, who they viewed as "irreplaceable."

The Spaniard, winner of seven Grand Tours, planned on continuing through 2018 but changed his mind in late July after a below-par Tour de France.

>>> Alberto Contador: ‘I could have won all three Grand Tours in the same year’

"Alberto is irreplaceable considering both his athletic talents and popularity," general manager Luca Guercilena told Cycling Weekly.

"Alberto originally wanted to continue to 2018 and we wanted to keep him. At the point he decided to quit, the other athletes were already committed to other teams for 2018.

"It's clear that we were trying to negotiate with Fabio Aru and we wanted to try with Mikel Landa, but they already had agreements. The reality was that no one was on the market at the time that we went to look."

Aru agreed to sign with UAE Emirates, which should be announced soon, and Landa is leaving Sky for Movistar.

The team also considered Rigoberto Urán and Daniel Martin – the former renewed with Cannondale and Martin is joining UAE-Emirates.

Trek-Segafredo sports director Steven de Jongh said in a separate interview that Aru and the others were asking too much money. Aru's offer, he said, was too rich for Trek-Segafredo's blood despite the team wanting an Italian leader for their co-sponsor Segafredo.

"A rider like Canadian Michael Woods? It's one thing to take a rider who is developing and maybe in two years he will have a chance in a Grand Tour given how great he went in the Vuelta a España, but he still doesn't offer a guarantee performance in the Tour de France," Guercilena added.

"We already have Bauke Mollema and Gianluca Brambilla [joining from Quick-Step]. When you sign this type of rider you want someone who'll be able to provide some certainties of doing something important in the Tour de France."

The team's focus will change slightly in stages races. In smaller stage races like the Volta a Catalunya or Tirreno-Adriatico, they will allow others like Jarlinson Pantano to race for stages.

"We invested in young athletes starting already two years ago, to help them grow. I'm talking about Giacomo Nizzolo, Fabio Feline and Bauke Mollema and Jarlinson Pantano, who was a helper all year in 2017," Guercilena continued.

"Bauke will return to be the captain for the Tour de France. He did very well two years ago in the Tour de France and this year he won a stage. I think that he can still improve a bit.

"Gianluca Brambilla will need to transform himself to more to a stage racer especially for the Giro d'Italia, where he already wore the pink jersey. We want to move in that direction with him. We are faithful in the men to have good season."

The team will continue to work with John Degenkolb for the Classics and sprints. He won Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix in 2015 but has yet to reach full speed after a training incident in January 2016 with his former team Giant-Alpecin.

Alberto Contador, who finished his career after the Vuelta a España last month, believes that he could have become the first rider to win all three Grand Tours in one season.

Team Sky's Chris Froome could possibly do so if he races and wins the 2018 Giro d'Italia in May, but that would be three within 12 months, not within one calendar year. Either way, no cyclist has ever won all three in such a short time frame.

>>> One of the biggest injustices in sport’: Alberto Contador still angry at doping ban and loss of Grand Tour titles

"I would have liked, like anyone else, to have won all three Grand Tours in one year," Contador told Span's Marca newspaper.

"I've been able to win them, but in different seasons. If I had tried it when I was younger and when I had very powerful team around me, maybe I would have had more options."

Contador won more Grand Tours than any current rider has during his career. He took titles in all of cycling's three-week races, the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España.

The Spaniard from Madrid's outskirts won his home race three times, in 2008, 2012 and 2014. He won the Giro twice, 2008 and 2015, and the Tour two times, 2007 and 2009.

A positive test for clenbuterol saw him stripped of the 2010 Tour and 2011 Giro titles.

He recently retired with team Trek-Segafredo having begun his career with ONCE before racing with Discovery Channel, Astana and Saxo Bank/Tinkoff.

'El Pistolero' appeared to be firing the strongest between 2007 and 2009 when he raced with team Astana. However, he never tried racing all three Grand Tours in one season.

He came the closest to capturing all three within a 12-month span when he won the 2014 Vuelta and returned in 2015 to attempt the Giro/Tour double. He succeeded in the Giro and placed fifth in the Tour behind Chris Froome, saying the Giro had taken its toll.

Contador stands among the greats, a group of six cyclists who have won all three Grand Tours. Eddy Merckx remains the king of cycling with 11 titles. The Belgian won the Giro and the Tour five times each and the Vuelta once, the only time he raced it in 1973.

"I made the best decision," 34-year-old Contador said on his choice to retire.

"When I see a Grand Tour next year, maybe I'll get a little nostalgic. Recently I was at the presentation of the Giro d'Italia in Israel and seeing the first stage, the time trial, I thought, 'I could do well.' But it's time to leave space for the others.

"I could have continued, head and body, but it's true that now I see the Tour and the same passes... In a sense it no longer has the same charm as it did the first few times."

Alberto Contador will not be replaced by another Grand Tour contender in Trek-Segafredo's 2018 line-up, as the US-registered squad announced the last of their signings on Monday.

The team announced that Ethiopian Tsgabu Grmay and Italian Nicola Conci will join the squad from 2018, leaving Bauke Mollema as Trek's leading Grand Tour contender.

Mollema finished seventh in this year's Giro d'Italia, and 17th in the Tour de France with a win on stage 15. The Dutchman's best overall Grand Tour placing so far in his career has been fourth in the 2011 Vuelta a España.

Other riders in the team could now step up to lead in Grand Tours, such as 28-year-old Colombian Jarlinson Pantano, who posted top 20 finishes at the Tour de France in 2015 and 2016 and has been a key helper for Contador during 2017.

>>> Trek-Segafredo in no rush to find replacement for Alberto Contador

Contador retired after completing this year's Vuelta a España, where he finished in fifth place overall behind winner Chris Froome (Team Sky). Contador put in a trademark daring ride to net stage 20 on Alto de l'Angliru, closing out a career that has seen him win two editions of the Tour, two of the Giro and three of the Vuelta.

Trek general manager Luca Guercilena told Cycling Weekly in August that the team was not going to rush into replacing Contador, saying: "We are going to assess the opportunities when they come. We are not going to go crazy because we have to replace Alberto at all costs."

Along with Grmay and Conci, Trek has signed Gianluca Brambilla (from Quick-Step Floors), Alex Frame (from JLT Condor), Toms Skujiņš (from Cannondale-Drapac) and Ryan Mullen (from Cannondale-Drapac) for 2018.

German John Degenkolb and Belgian Jasper Stuyven are likely to spearhead Trek's assault in the Classics.

Drawing a close on a glittering career that saw him win seven Grand Tour titles, Alberto Contador is still bitter about the doping ban which saw him stripped of two more Grand Tour victories at the 2010 Tour de France and 2011 Giro d'Italia.

After a protracted legal case, the Spanish rider was banned in 2012 for testing positive for clenbuterol at the 2010 Tour, stripping him of that victory and his subsequent pink jersey at the Giro.

Contador denied doping, claiming that the banned substance had entered his system after he had eaten a contaminated steak of the second rest day of the Tour, but was banned for two years as a result of a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

>>> Alberto Contador: 'I could have raced for two more years'

In an interview with Spanish radio two weeks after completing his final professional race at the Vuelta a España, the 34-year-old continued to protest his innocence and describe the injustice which he felt had been committed against him.

"It is a tremendous injustice," Contador said, as reported by AS. "What stays with me most are the feelings of the people who saw those races [the 2010 Tour and 2011 Giro], what they enjoyed of them, the way I worked to achieve them, and the way I achieved them.

"I don’t give importance to what might appear on paper; it is about my own feeling. It's something I'm going to have for my whole life.

"But it will not change anything and the people that have shown interest know that it is one of the biggest injustices that has happened in sport."

>>> Alberto Contador greeted by huge crown chanting 'one more year' as he returns home after Vuelta

Contador also confirmed that he made the decision to retire while competing at this year's Tour de France, more specifically on the road to Chambéry on stage nine where he suffered two crashes.

"Before the Tour I had very good numbers and we thought I could compete until the 2018 Tour. But on the ninth stage to Chambéry I had two falls which took my out of the GC... that day I made the decision to retire."

Despite saying that he has not ridden a bike since the end of the Vuelta, Contador is set to make one more appearance in Trek-Segafredo kit, taking part in a criterium at the Japan Cup next month.

Despite leaving the ranks of professional cycling on a romantic high with his win atop the l'Angliru at this year's Vuelta a España, Alberto Contador has spoken about how he could have carried on racing.

In a report by Ciclo21, Contador told reporters on radio show El Partidazo COPE how he almost continued to race for a further two years.

"People have told me a lot: 'One more year'," the Spaniard said, but that was not an option.

"I wanted to leave it to the highest level and not waste my time."

And leave at the highest level he did, after a beautifully crafted solo attack on the penultimate stage of the Vuelta.

"It's the perfect moment," he told reporters, "there could not be a better farewell after the Vuelta."

Unfortunately, when taking on the l'Angliru there was one person who couldn't bare to watch Contador.

"My father didn't see the Angliru live because of the agony of seeing if they would catch me or not," El Pistolero told reporters, but that didn't stop him from enjoying the moment.

For someone who has won all three Grand Tours and wowed fans across his career, Contador was pretty certain about his favourite memory.

"The happiest moment on a bike was the entry into Madrid," the 34-year-old said.  "A gift on the day of my farewell."

With his career over and his feet firmly up, will we see him on his bike any time soon?

"I got on the bike once, but I have not gone out to train well, yet."

Alberto Contador came to the Vuelta a España with the stated aim of enjoying himself in the final race of his career and, a brief sickness apart, has spent three weeks doing exactly that.

Yet, he went into his final mountain stage to the infamous Alto de l’Angliru with mixed feelings.

>>> Five talking points from stage 20 of the Vuelta a España

"I had a bit of a bad taste in my mouth because I wasn’t getting the results I felt I should have been based on the numbers I was producing – I knew I had to win today," the Spaniard revealed after taking a thrilling solo victory on the Asturian summit.

"I couldn’t have had a more beautiful finish than this. To win on the Angliru in the last mountain stage of my career is incredible," he said.

"I felt this morning that it was clear it was going to be my day and said in the team meeting [prior to the stage] that I wanted to enjoy it. I wanted to say goodbye in the best way possible."

Contador admitted he felt tense before the start. He got his team to keep a tight leash on the break, then made his initial move on the treacherous descent of the first-category Cordal, which had been made even more testing by heavy rain.

"I knew that the Cordal has a history, that there’ve been lot of crashes there. It was the right moment to try something. I could see that Chris Froome was on the limit in some of the corners, so I pushed it a little bit," Contador explained.

"Then Jarlinson Pantano went to the front. Sky were blocking me a bit from passing, but once I got through, we went down full on. He was like a kamikaze and I could barely stay with him."

Helped initially by Trek teammate Pantano and then by Quick-Step’s Enric Mas, a former member of Contador’s development team, the Spaniard caught and dropped the riders who had been in the break. Contador then struck out on his own.

"It was still a long way from the finish, but I enjoyed these last mountains of my sporting life," he continued.

"There was a lot of water on the road and I found it hard to stand on the pedals and had to climb in the saddle. But hearing the fans urging me on gave me goosebumps and motivated me. It was a great day. I’m truly happy."

Although he missed out on a podium finish by just 20 seconds, Contador said the stage victory was more important than finishing third on GC.

"Without a doubt, I wanted to win the stage. Ending with victory on the Angliru can’t be bettered. I knew it would be complicated, but the team did a great job," he said.

"I wanted to do it for myself and for all the fans who’ve always supported me."

Asked to reflect on his career and the change that retirement will bring, Contador said: "I feel very blessed with what I have experienced in my sporting career and being able to say goodbye like this. I’ve so many things ahead of me in life and now I can enjoy things that I could never before. I’m truly content.

"I’m sure I’ll miss it from time to time, but now it’s time to rest and relax a bit in life."

Chris Froome (Team Sky) has all but secured the overall victory in the 2017 Vuelta a España after finishing third behind stage winner Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo) on the race's final mountain day on Saturday.

All that remains for Froome to secure a historic first Vuelta a España victory for a British rider is to safely navigate Sunday's flat stage into Madrid. It will also be the first time a British rider has achieved the Tour de France-Vuelta double.

Contador capped off his successful career with one final Grand Tour win in his last race before retirement, also making it the first win for a Spanish rider in the 2017 Vuelta. He attacked at the bottom of the punishing Alto de l'Angliru to create a memorable solo performance.

Wout Poels led home Sky team-mate Froome to take second and third on the stage, and ensure that Froome extended his lead at the top of the general classification.

Froome now sits two minutes and 15 seconds ahead of second-placed Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida), with Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha-Alpecin) moving up to third at 2-51. Contador is fourth at 3-11 as Wilco Kelderman (Team Sunweb) slipped from third to fifth at 3-15.

>>> Vuelta a España 2017: Latest news, reports and race info

As it happened

The day's escape group attracted several big names in a last-ditch attempt to claim a stage victory. Eighteen riders formed into the day's break: Simon Yates, Adam Yates (Orica-Scott), Romain Bardet (Ag2r-La Mondiale), Igor Antón (Dimension Data), Rui Costa, Jan Polanc (UAE Team Emirates), Julian Alaphilippe, Enric Mas (Quick-Step Floors), Lluis Mas, Jaime Roson (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), Nicolas Roche (BMC), Nelson Oliveira, Marc Soler (Movistar), Soren Kragh Andersen (Team Sunweb), Patrick Konrad (Bora-Hansgrohe), Tobias Ludvigsson (FDJ), Stefan Denifl (Aqua Blue Sport) and Tomasz Marczynski (Lotto-Soudal).

Trek-Segafredo led the peloton for Contador, and were not keen on the break gaining too much of an advantage. The gap was kept to around the minute mark as they hit the day's first classified climb of Alto de la Cobertoria.

Mas attacked out of the break on the ascent, and was joined by 10 other riders towards the top: both Yates brothers, Bardet, Denifl, Polanc, Soler, Konrad, Roson, Marczynski and Kragh Andersen.

Bahrain-Merida had taken up the pace-setting in the peloton, which was breaking apart on the Cobertoria and on the descent towards the Alto del Cordal. Several riders found themselves struggling with the pace, including David De La Cruz (Quick-Step Floors), Fabio Aru (Astana) and Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha-Alpecin).

Soler attacked from the break on the Cordal, but disaster struck for him on the descent as he crashed with 18.5km to go, sliding under a roadside barrier. Marczynski then inherited the lead on the stage.

>>> Five talking points from stage 20 of the Vuelta a España

The wet conditions caught out several other riders on the descent, including Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) and De La Cruz, the latter withdrawing from the race having started the day in 11th overall.

Marczynski hit the lower slopes of the Alto de L'Angliru first, with a gap of 1-44 on the peloton containing Froome.

Contador and Trek team-mate Jarlinson Pantano launched an attack from the bunch as they hit the Angliru, and were joined by Mas and Adam Yates from the break. Contador's move made Team Sunweb take over from Sky at the front of the GC group, trying to protect Kelderman's position overall. Nibali and Zakarin had also got back with Froome at this point.

Pantano swung off with 10km to go after a huge effort to distance the Froome group by 30 seconds. Yates, too, dropped back, leaving Contador with fellow Spaniard Mas as they chased Marczynski.

With Sunweb still taking up the chase work into the final 10km on Angliru, Froome was managing to save his team-mates, with five Sky riders accompanying their leader and giving Froome a distinct numerical advantage.

Contador and Mas caught up with Simon Yates, Marc Soler and Romain Bardet from the early break, before finally catching Marczynski with 8km to go and with a margin of 40 seconds over the Froome group.

An over-eager fan nearly brought Contador to a standstill at one point, but the Trek rider managed to stay upright and continue, dropping everyone else to go solo into the final 5km and open up his advantage to a minute over Froome's group. The latter included Kelderman, Nibali, Zakarin, Michael Woods (Cannondale-Drapac) and Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL-Jumbo).

Kruijswijk attacked from the group in pursuit of Contador with 4km to go, but the rest of the Froome group remained intact until Poels and Froome accelerated away. Zakarin dropped Kelderman in the pursuit as Kruijswijk was caught and passed, but Nibali was unable to respond.

Up front, Contador pushed on to take a memorable stage victory, with Poels and Froome coming home for second and third. Nibali dropped 34 seconds at the finish but did enough to keep his second place ahead of Zakarin.

For his efforts in shepherding Froome, Poels also moves up to sixth place overall. Not so lucky was Fabio Aru (Astana), who finished 15-07 down on Contador and slipped from eighth to 13th overall.

The 2017 Vuelta a España concludes on Sunday with a flat stage into Madrid, with a bunch sprint finish expected.

Result

Vuelta a España 2017, stage 20: Corvera de Asturias to Alto de l'Angliru, 117.5km

1. Alberto Contador (Esp) Trek-Segafredo, in 3-31-33

2. Wout Poels (Ned) Team Sky, at 17 secs

3. Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky, at same time

4. Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Katusha-Alpecin, at 35 secs

5. Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Bahrain-Merida, at 51 secs

6. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Bahrain-Merida

7. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo, at same time

8. Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Team Sunweb, at 1-11

9. Romain Bardet (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale, at 1-25

10. Michael Woods (Can) Cannondale-Drapac, at 1-36

General classification after stage 20

1. Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky, in 79-23-37

2. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Bahrain-Merida, at 2-15

3. Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Katusha-Alpecin, at 2-51

4. Alberto Contador (Esp) Trek-Segafredo, at 3-11

5. Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Team Sunweb, at 3-15

6. Wout Poels (Ned) Team Sky, at 6-45

7. Michael Woods (Can) Cannondale-Drapac, at 7-56

8. Miguel Angel Lopez (Col) Astana, at 8-59

9. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo, at 11-04

10. Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing, at 15-36

Chris Froome is now just one crucial stage away from becoming the first rider for almost 40 years to complete the Tour de France-Vuelta a España double. But what a stage it is.

Extending to just 117.5km, the Vuelta’s final day in the mountains takes the race over the first-category Cobertoria and Cordal ascents, before culminating on the legendary Alto de l’Angliru.

>>> Five talking points from stage 19 of the Vuelta a España

In the 2011 Vuelta, Froome announced himself as a GC contender on its super-steep ramps. Now the Asturian climb is his final obstacle as he attempts to wrap up his first Vuelta victory after three second-place finishes.

It will be an equally memorable day for Alberto Contador, who has spent much of the last two weeks trying to claw back the losses he sustained early on in the final race of his career. He tried once again towards the end of stage 19 into Gijón, quickly gaining a minute and forcing Froome’s Sky team to chase.

Froome explained there was good reason for doing so.

"Contador’s been moving up in the general classification – he’s now just a bit more than three minutes back," Froome said.

"I think it would have put us in a more difficult situation if he’d picked up another minute today because then he would have been just two minutes behind."

"He might then have attacked from the start tomorrow, and that would have given us a little more stress. So, keeping him where he is makes us feel a lot more comfortable," Froome added.

Froome smiled when asked what he expected from the Spanish climber on the Angliru stage.

"Alberto’s shown a lot of flair in this race. He’s animated almost every stage trying to regain time on GC. As tomorrow is his last appearance on a big climb like the Angliru I imagine he’s going to give absolutely everything he’s got," said the Sky leader.

"Today’s was a big attack. He took almost one minute on our group very quickly and we weren’t going slowly. It was impressive and I imagine we can expect the same from him tomorrow.

"I think he’ll want to get to the end of the stage and have no regrets. I’m sure he’ll leave everything on the road."

Froome acknowledged that he would be delighted to win on the Angliru, but stressed that his focus is completely on retaining the red leader’s jersey at its summit.

"It would be amazing to win on the toughest climb of this race, but at this point I’m purely thinking of getting to Madrid in red. Of course, if the opportunity’s there to win the stage then I’ll go for it," he said.

Yet he stressed that the stage is not all about the final climb, especially if the forecasters are right and it’s wet.

"I don’t think anyone particularly enjoys riding in bad conditions, but it’s going to be the same for all of us. There are dangerous descents that are going to come into play. It’s not just going to be about the Angliru," Froome affirmed.

Asked about his last experience of the Angliru back in that 2011 race, he explained: "It’s a long time back now, six years, but I’ve not forgotten that it’s a brutal, brutal climb.

"There are gradients of more than 20 per cent and if it’s wet it will be even tougher because you can’t really stand up on the pedals. You have to stay in the saddle and that’s going to make it even harder."

Chris Froome (Team Sky) saw his overall lead in the Vuelta a España cut significantly on the tough final climb on stage 17 on Wednesday.

Froome had put in a dominant performance to win the previous day's final time trial and stretch his lead over second-placed Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) to one minute and 58 seconds. However, he saw a large proportion of his gain slashed as he conceded 42 seconds to Nibali on the Alto de los Machucos.

Froome now leads Nibali overall by 1-16, with Wilco Kelderman (Team Sunweb) in third at 2-13.

>>> Vuelta a España 2017: Latest news, reports and race info

Stefan Denifl (Aqua Blue Sport) took the stage victory, handing his team a morale-boosting win in their first ever Grand Tour appearance and after suffering the shock of their team bus being severely damaged in an arson attack last week.

Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo) came good on his promise to keep attacking by jumping out of the bunch to claim second place on the stage and strengthen his fifth place overall.

How it happened

After a flurry of early attacks, an escape of four riders formed up after 13km into the 180.5km stage: Daniel Moreno (Movistar), Alessandro De Marchi (BMC), Denifl and Magnus Cort Nielsen (Orica-Scott).

They were joined by Davide Villella (Cannondale-Drapac) and stage eight winner Julian Alaphilippe (Quick-Step Floors), as the duo bridged over after 27km.

The six riders swiftly opened up a gap of over seven minutes on the bunch after one hour of racing and continued riding together to increase that lead to nine minutes, and then back down to eight with 100km remaining.

>>> Five talking points from stage 17 of the Vuelta

As the six started to tackled the first of the day's three categorised climbs – the second category Portillo de Lunada – they had around four minutes over the peloton.

King of the Mountains Villella crested the top of the Portillo de Lunada to take maximum points, but dropped out of break on the descent inside the final 50km, leaving five riders out front.

By this point the weather had really closed in, with poor visibility, wet roads and fog.

Adam Yates and Esteban Chaves attacked bunch with 23km to go on the penultimate climb of Puerto de Alisas. They created a gap, but were chased down by a group headed up by David De La Cruz (Quick-Step Floors) and Antonio Pedrero (Movistar).

Behind them, five Team Sky riders were leading Froome to close up the gap, with the junction being made with 18.5km to go.

Shortly after, Orica-Scott once again signalled their intention to make a mark on the stage with Jack Haig attacking towards the top of the Puerto de Alisas, joining up with team-mate Cort Nielsen who had dropped back from the break. The two riders created a gap on the twisting descent.

Hitting the bottom of the final ascent of Alto de los Machucos, the break of Moreno, De Marchi, Denifl and Alaphilippe had 1-30 over the peloton and 36 seconds on the chasing duo of Haig and Cort.

The bunch crumbled immediately upon reaching the lower slopes of the climb, with many riders finding the gradient too much to stay in the bunch. The break also fragmented, with Denifl taking the lead.

Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana) was the first of the GC favourites to attack the red jersey group, and he was joined by Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo) with 6km to go. At this point, Froome still had four team mates with him as they chased another move by a group including Kruijswijk, Nibali and Kelderman.

In front of them, Contador then attacked Lopez on a steep ramp to go solo and picked his way past all of the former escapees apart from Denifl, who continued his lone escape at the very front of the race.

With his rivals out in front of him, Froome was relying on just Mikel Nieve to try and limit his time loss. Nibali, Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha-Alpecin), Michael Woods (Cannondale-Drapac) and Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana) linked up ahead of Froome inside the final 2km – by which point, Contador was ahead by almost a minute but still out of reach of Denifl.

Denifl swept into the finish to take an emotional victory, with Contador coming home in second at 28 seconds. Lopez claimed third just ahead of Nibali and Zakarin as the clock started ticking down for Froome.

Froome was led into the finish by Nieve, down by over 40 seconds on all of his key GC rivals and having endured perhaps his most challenging moment of the Vuelta so far.

Woods enjoyed one of the biggest gains of the day, jumping up the overall standings from 10th to seventh.

Thursday's stage 18 features another summit finish. The route from Suances to Santo Toribio de Liébana covers 169km and includes four categorised climbs, including the final ascent. Expect Froome's rivals to attack him again – this Vuelta is far from over.

The 2017 Vuelta a España concludes in Madrid on Sunday, September 10.

Result

Vuelta a España 2017, stage 17: Villadiego to Los Machucos, 180.5km

1. Stefan Denifl (Aut) Aqua Blue Sport, in 4-48-52

2. Alberto Contador (Esp) Trek-Segafredo, at 28 secs

3. Miguel Angel Lopez (Col) Astana, at 1-04

4. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Bahrain-Merida

5. Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Katusha-Alpecin

6. Rafal Majka (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe, at same time

7. Michael Woods (Can) Cannondale-Drapac, at 1-13

8. Daniel Moreno (Esp) Movistar, at 1-17

9. Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Team Sunweb, at 1-19

10. David De La Cruz (Esp) Quick-Step Floors, at 1-42

Other

14. Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky, at 1-46

General classification after stage 17

1. Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky, in 67-44-03

2. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Bahrain-Merida, at 1-16

3. Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Team Sunweb, at 2-13

4. Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Katusha-Alpecin, at 2-25

5. Alberto Contador (Esp) Trek-Segafredo, at 3-34

6. Miguel Angel Lopez (Col) Astana, at 4-39

7. Michael Woods (Can) Cannondale-Drapac, at 6-33

8. Wout Poels (Ned) Team Sky, at 6-40

9. Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana, at 6-45

10. David De La Cruz (Esp) Quick-Step Floors, at 10-10

When Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo) finishes this Vuelta a España and retires, he says that he will enjoy being free of the dietary constraints of being a pro cyclist, and aims to put on weight.

"I like slim-fit clothes, so I may have to change my wardrobe! The people around me are already working on it," the 34-year-old Spaniard said. "I'll gain weight, you'll make jokes about it when you see me, but I'll try to keep it under control."

Contador chose his home Grand Tour to end a highly successful career. He says that he is "savouring every minute" of the race, but rather than relaxing into retirement, he is fighting hard for a podium place in Madrid on Sunday and racing his way.

Had it not been for one bad day on stage three when he was suffering from illness, the seven-time Grand Tour winner could already be in a podium position. As it stands, he is currently in ninth place and three minutes and 59 seconds behind race leader Chris Froome (Team Sky). It now seems out of reach that Contador can add a fourth Vuelta title to his palmarès.

>>> Alberto Contador: ‘It was a risk to attack, but I have no regrets’

"I'm pretty happy with my Vuelta so far," reflected Contador on the race's second rest day on Monday.

"On the Andorra stage, I was sick and struggling all day. Without that stage, it would all look very different now. But on the other side, there have been some great stages, and I've done pretty well. Yesterday [Sunday, stage 15], with hindsight, it would have been better to have been in the group, but you ride for your own reasons.

"Now, I'll take it day by day, but I have to say that I'm immensely enjoying this race, with all the public affection being showered on me. I'm savoring every minute."

Contador says that he will continue to launch attacks on the general classification favourites in the hope of making his move stick to gain time – not for showboating in front of his fans.

"I don't attack because I lose my head because of the public affection," Contador explained. "I do it because it's my way of racing and, given the condition I have, and the moment of form, because I can. Obviously, you can be more conservative and try to finish fourth or fifth or third or eighth, and lose the minimum possible, but that way of racing is not for me."

After the rest day, the Vuelta resumes for the race's final week on Tuesday with a 40.2-kilometre individual time trial. Then there are two summits finishes on stages 17 and 18 on Wednesday and Thursday. All could be key to achieving a final podium position.

"It is going to be difficult to finish on the podium, but there are still major stages to come and it is still possible to see what I can do. It's obviously a long way off," said Contador.

>>> Vuelta a España 2017: Latest news, reports and race info

He continued: "I hadn't realised tomorrow would be the final TT of my career: it's a big one!

"I've always worked on the discipline and fought for victories in Grand Tour TT's, Before, when I was a neo pro, you used to think how you could be more competitive in certain types of TT. You looked at the equipment, the route, every tiny detail.

"Now, with team budgets much bigger, more wind tunnel testing than ever, better bikes, it's difficult to compete with the pure specialists. If they don't put a mountain in the middle of the route, it's hard for me. "

"Tomorrow we'll see how it goes for me. There are going to be big gaps, and it should favour me."

Whatever the result, Contador appears happy to be racing his final Grand Tour his way. Not compromising his tactics, and at the same time giving his fans what they want to see.

"For me it is satisfying to enjoy the Vuelta a España the way I am doing, independent of the final result. I think people will remember my final result of this Vuelta less than other results in my career. Personally, I'm going to remember the sensation more than the result."

When the race finishes on Sunday, Contador says that he'll be happy to give up the regimented life of a pro – particularly when it comes to food.

"Every morning without looking at the scales, neither at night nor in the morning. I'll be able to eat jamón con tocino [ham/bacon] in the morning. My life will be normal, without crossing the demands and slavery of top level cycling."

The rivals say nothing could be done to overthrow Chris Froome on stage 14 on the Vuelta a España's Pandera summit finish because they knew he and Team Sky would defend the race lead easily.

>>> Five talking points from stage 14 of the Vuelta a España

Froome clawed back attacks from Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo) and Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) and preserved his red leader's jersey another day in this 2017 edition. He even gained time on most of his direct rivals.

"The last climb was a bit more predictable," Contador explained. "Nibali went but I knew that Froome would be coming back, and sure enough, he did.

"It's normal that Froome waited back [when we attacked], he was just looking at his power output."

Cameras and microphones edged closer to the three-time Vuelta a España winner in his last race. Further away, Sicilian Vincenzo Nibali slowed down to talk on the pass at 1830 metres.

Rafal Majka (Bora-Hansgrohe) won the stage from an escape. Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana), a non-threatening classification rider, attacked from the Froome group with 1.6 kilometres remaining and raced for the stage win, but placed second.

Nibali and Contador attacked further down with just over three kilometres remaining on the summit finish to La Pandera. Froome sat calmly and allowed team-mates Mikel Nieve and Wout Poels to pace. He then pounced on his rivals.

"Froome had help, he has a great team and is able to manage it," Nibali said. "That's Froome's strength.

"It's clear, if his team-mates become a bit tired and he's isolated, then it becomes difficult for him. In fact, in the last 100 metres, it was more difficult and more open. I tried gain as much as possible."

As Majka celebrated, Nibali shot free in the closing stretch and to place third, and more importantly, to take the four-second time bonus. He moved from 59 seconds back in second place to 55.

Wilco Kelderman (Sunweb) and Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha-Alpecin) finished with the Nibali/Froome group too. Everyone else lost time. Chaves, fell from third to fifth place, losing 26 seconds.

Froome never looked in danger of losing the red jersey even if he could be sore only two days after crashing twice in stage 12.

"Not really," Chaves said when asked if Froome showed any weaknesses on the final climb.

"He's a super strong guy and knows how to pace it. He rode it well today. And he rode to finish with Nibali and Contador."

Summit finishes in stage races and one-day Classics in the spring would be the same even without power meters monitoring cyclists' watts, say insiders.

Teams say that SRM and other meters do not affect the racing, that it is still a human effort involving instinct and suffering.

>>> Power meters: everything you need to know

"Why do you have a GPS in your car? Why do you have a smart phone? Why do you have a computer? You cannot turn back the time," general manager of Quick-Step Floors, Patrick Lefevere told Cycling Weekly.

"If you see the way Matteo Trentin wins in this Vuelta a España, that's instinct. And look at Philippe Gilbert attack in Flanders. You can't roll back the time. If you use them or not, they will not change the races."

Some critics say that the power readings help cyclists measure their attacks or steadily chase down those who are going on gut feeling.

Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo) has already been critical of Sky's racing style in the past. At the Vuelta 2017, he suggested that Chris Froome (Sky) carefully measured his chase in the race's 14th stage when he and Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) attacked on the Pandera pass.

"It's normal that Froome waited back [when we attacked]," Contador said, "he was just looking at his power output."

"It's still human even if they have all the help in the world," Lefevere countered. "Riders have one bullet and maybe two, and if you shoot it needs to be to the head otherwise you wasted it. The difference is before, in the time of Eddy Merckx, you attacked on instinct and sometimes you blew up."

Frenchman Nicolas Portal raced as a professional and now directs Team Sky's Grand Tour teams lead by Chris Froome. In the past, critics like Alberto Contador and Vincenzo Nibali, pointed fingers at the black Sky train and when it sped up climbs in pursuit of Froome's rivals.

"People think riders ride to their heart rates and watts but that's not true," Portal said.

"It's not like when Contador attacks they know how many watts he is pushing. They are riding according to how their legs feel.

"They can look down and see the number and say, 'Oh yeah, that's the right number.' But they can feel it in their legs anyway. It's just another toy that the riders have."

"Maybe it's like that," Wilco Kelderman (Sunweb) said of the meters dictating tactics. "Some riders need to look to see how hard they are riding but I don't know if that's really like that. I think it's more on feeling.

"Sometimes it looks like Chris Froome is riding on the watts but I don't know! Maybe, but I don't know."

Froome won the Tour de France four times and dominated other stage races. He has been leading the 2017 Vuelta a España for the last two weeks. He said in the past that he is "aware of the numbers" but rides "more on feeling."

Examples of such gut feeling could have been his attack on the descent to Bagnères-de-Luchon or in the crosswinds to Montpellier with Geraint Thomas in the 2016 Tour de France.

Vincenzo Nibali, winner of all three Grand Tours including the 2014 Tour de France, criticised Froome and Sky in the past for its “scientific” style. Now, he says that power meters affect races very little.

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"It's useful to know your limit in training, but in the race, it can be useful sometimes, but in most cases, it's not," said Nibali.

"Do they ruin racing? It depends because when I'm going well, I don't even look at the watts. OK, it can be useful but maybe not.

"For us riders, it's very important to have them to see how we've gone in a race and have that history day after day to see how we are recovering or improving."

"It's just an instrument that's used by the trainers," explained Nibali's coach and sports director at team Bahrain-Merida, Paolo Slongo.

"In training it's important for the rider, but in the races it's important for the trainer. It gives you a history of what the riders have been doing in the race.

"It's not as if you take that computer way you're going to have more of a show. Look at how Vincenzo Nibali or Alberto Contador is racing in the Vuelta a España, you still get a show."

Vuelta a España race leader Chris Froome (Sky) will come back stronger after crashing twice on stage 12 to Antequera, say the day's major players Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo) and Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida).

Contador, a three-time Vuelta winner, attacked with around 20 kilometres to race. Once Froome crashed, his main rivals gained time with Nibali and his Bahrain-Merida team pushing the pace to reach Contador.

>>> Five talking points from stage 12 of the Vuelta a España

"The time I gained was due to as crash so it's too bad and Sky was already working hard," Nibali said. "So this time gain was not because I dropped them. Froome is still Froome."

Froome still the leader, but Contador gained 42 seconds and Nibali's group took 20. Froome now leads the race with 59 seconds on Nibali and 2-13 minutes on Esteban Chaves (Orica-Scott).

"I thought maybe that something would happen today but not like this. When Alberto Contador went, we were going completely all out to chase him. When Froome crashed, we were already going all out to retake Contador so there was no waiting," Nibali continued.

"In the moment that Froome crashed, Alberto began to gain a huge advantage and he's is always dangerous. This is Alberto's style. We know that. Today he showed that he's going really well."

Contador remains in ninth place, but closed in on those ahead of him in the top-10.

He reached his team-mate Edward Theuns, who was riding in the escape that produced stage winner Tomasz Marczynski (Lotto-Soudal).

Theuns waited for around three minutes on the Puerto del Torcal climb for Contador to join and went to work afterwards on the downhill to the finish to Antequera, just inland from Malaga. Contador then pushed solo to the line.

He crossed at 7-25 minutes down, Nibali's group at 7-47 and Froome, who had the help of Wout Poels and Mikel Nieve, at 8-07.

"With a finish like that, that sort of time gap is about the best you can expect," Contador said.

"I attacked with Nicolas Roche, but he was in trouble following me, then I knew I had a team-mate ahead and gave it everything. I went as quickly as I could but was careful because knew the road could be slippery.

"Froome? I knew he fell, but he got up quickly, he's lost very little, tomorrow is a flat stage, and sure, he'll be good from here on."

On Friday, the race covers one of its rare flat days to Tomares. On Saturday, it climbs again for one of its nine summit finishes to Sierra de La Pandera.

"I knew people's legs would hurt a lot after the wet day yesterday," added Contador. "We gained some time, but let's take this on day by day. No stress."

Despite indications otherwise, Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo) says that he is 'not mad' at Team Sky's Chris Froome and others for failing to join him in his attacks in the Vuelta a España's sixth stage.

The Spaniard, racing his last race, began firing on the final Puerto del Garbí climb on Thursday's stage and destroyed the favourites group with race leader Froome.

>>> Chris Froome: ‘I didn’t need to drop the other guys with Contador’

"I was not mad at Froome, I just analysed the race situation and noticed that he didn't put any effort to take time on any of the other riders behind," Contador explained.

"If there had been more collaboration, I am sure we could have made bigger differences, but of course everybody defines his own race goals and has his own race tactics. And the important thing here is that it has been a beautiful stage and that there are still a lot if those ahead of us."

Contador lost time in the opening stages, sits 3-10 minutes back, and must attack if he is to have a chance at winning a fourth Vuelta a España title before he retires.

However, the final climb on stage six left 36.4 kilometres of descending roads and flats to cover to Sagunt.

"I wanted to do the climbs in a high pace because I knew some of the rivals would have to pay for that," Contador explained.

"I believe Chris, Chaves, a whole bunch of guys are really strong. I am at a big distance so I will try to take the opportunity to aim for a stage victory and for the GC.

"To be honest, I thought there would be more of a fight. Some teams were really in the advantage – they had two or three team-mates – to take some time on some other riders. And yeah, maybe later on in the race they won't have that opportunity any more and might regret that they didn't take it now."

On stage five and again on stage six, 34-year-old Contador appeared to be back to his usual 'El Pistolero' self, out of the saddle and trying at every opportunity he saw.

"He knew the climb very well because he has a house here in Valencia, as well," sports director Steven De Jongh said. "He felt good and thought that maybe he could surprise other guys.

"It was also good to see him on a good level again after the other day. Yesterday it was also promising and today showed that it was not a one-off. Let's hope now that things go his way."

Contador split the group and of the favourites, only Froome remained. Slowly, however, the others like Esteban Chaves (Orica-Scott) in second overall and Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) in fifth rejoined.

"I think he was upset about the lack of collaboration but it's going to be a hard race and the way he's climbing now he should just stay calm. After a week, things will look different in the GC," De Jongh added.

"It is not up to Froome to ride but maybe guys like Esteban Chaves could pull. But OK, they all have their own interests. It's going to be a long Vuelta and we can take time later."

Over two weeks remain in the Vuelta a España, including eight more summit finishes. On stage seven, the riders will cover a medium mountain stage inland from Valencia to Cuenca.

Chris Froome (Sky), leader of the Vuelta a España, applauded Alberto Contador’s attack in the sixth stage to Sagunt, but felt that there was no need to join him in order to gain time on his rivals.

The three-time Vuelta winner of team Trek-Segafredo fired on the final climb of the stage, the Puerto del Garbí, and split the lead group. At one point, after Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing) crashed, only Froome remained with Contador and Jan Polanc (UAE Team Emirates), who had returned from an early escape.

>>> Alberto Contador puts Chris Froome under pressure on Vuelta a España stage six

"It was still over 30 kilometres to the finish, and I don't need to drop other guys right now," Froome explained. "I'm happy with the position that I'm in."

Froome holds the top position with 11 seconds over Esteban Chaves (Orica-Scott) and 13 seconds over Nicolas Roche (BMC Racing).

Contador, 23rd at 3-10 minutes, is fighting back after losing time in the first team time trial and mountain days. On the third stage to Andorra, he said that he felt week and lost 2-33. Froome took over the lead jersey that day.

The Puerto del Garbí climb left 36.4 kilometres to race to the Sagunt finish. The other stars who lost time were able to return to Froome's group before they finished.

"I expected someone was going to go today, it was such a tough climb and it was obvious that someone from GC was going to take up the race," Froome added.

"Contador was going so strongly today and he forced the rest of us to go hard as well."

Chaves and 2010 winner Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida), fifth at 36 seconds, appear to be Froome's strongest rivals with two weeks to race.

With the Vuelta a España Contador's last race, the attention is on him. Froome is not ruling him out either. He said, "We are still two weeks from Madrid, so anything can happen."

The worst happened to van Garderen on the stage. The American has been riding strongly with Froome and Chaves since the Spanish Grand Tour began on Saturday, but today, he fell at the top of the final climb. He crashed again in his chase and dropped from second to fourth overall.

"Exactly just what you said," Froome said in response to expect the unexpected in a bike race. "I didn't see it, but I heard it, we just went over the top.

"Even if you are at the front, a crash can happen out of the blue. That's part of racing too, but you just have to hope that that's not in your direction. He is a tough guy and I know he'll bounce back from it."

Alberto Contador is returning to show signs of his 'El Pistolero' self in the 2017 Vuelta a España, his last race, saying, "This is more like it."

Contador – winner of three Vuelta a España titles and two each in the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France – suffered from day one in his home tour.

On Wednesday, mobbed by fans at the finish along Spain's coast after the Santa Lucía short summit finish in Alcossebre, he could finally smile.

>>> Five talking points from stage five of the Vuelta a España 2017

"The sensations are better than the other day," Contador said, referring to the Andorra stage where lost 2-33 minutes.

"It's more in line with how I was feeling ahead of the race. We can't lose our heads, though, it was a short climb, very explosive. The longer climbs come in the second week."

The 3.4-kilometre climb rose 330 metres above the coastline near Valencia. Contador rode alongside red jersey leader Chris Froome (Sky) and led the small group over the line, 4-31 minutes behind the early escape group.

He had said the Vuelta would be his final race in a long career. The decision came shortly after the Tour de France, where he crashed early in the race and later, after switching focused to taking a stage win, suffered to show that old spark.

The 34-year-old had planned on racing through the 2018 Giro d'Italia, but he decided the Vuelta would be it.

"The first thing was to see how I felt and thankfully I regained the feelings a little," continued Contador. "Now, I need to analyse what's most interesting or right. The overall classification is complicated and this parcours is good for Froome."

Contador warned those Spanish journalists listening and their readers not to hope for too much.

"We cannot let this go to our head, just one day of good feelings, now the important thing is to recover and see what happens in the race," he added.

"There are times when I feel pretty good on the bike. Before it was not so bad, but it wasn't so well, just that anybody seeing the TV images of the Andorra stage knows that wasn't my usual level. But cycling's like that.

"And regardless of what happens, I'm going to enjoy every kilometre of this Vuelta for sure."

Contador looked around and heard the cheers. He commented that it felt as if he was racing into his hometown giving the fans applauding for him along the roads and at the finish.

Alberto Contador's dream Grand Tour farewell may not happen judging by the third stage to Andorra on Monday where he lost 2-33 minutes to his rivals.

The 34-year-old Spaniard of team Trek-Segafredo had planned to race on through the Giro d'Italia in 2018 but after a disappointing Tour de France, he announced the Vuelta a España, where he already won three times, would be his last race.

>>> Five talking points from stage three of the Vuelta a España 2017

"I had very bad sensations, also climbing La Rabassa [the second to last climb], I saw it already," Contador said.

"I don't know what happen to me but I felt super, super weak. Even when we went at a relatively calm pace, it was difficult to be there.

"I hope that is only a bad day, maybe because the lack of competition. The most important thing now is to recover and try to find the reason of this performance."

Contador drifted back from the group with stage winner Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) and new race leader Chris Froome (Sky) with 10 kilometres to race.

His long-time helper Jesús Hernández dropped back, but could not pull a suffering Contador back into the action. Peter Stetina helped too, but Contador told them to think for themselves.

It could be a bad sign for the winner of the 2008, 2012 and 2014 Vuelta. He suffered as well in the Tour and changed his tactics to try to win a stage.

"Now the most important thing is to know why I had so bad day before deciding the tactics going ahead," added Contador.

"I want to enjoy this Vuelta in any case. I'm the most relaxed in my whole career in this Vuelta and I enjoying it the most I can. For sure I want to be ahead, I couldn't today, but I'll try on next days."

Contador crashed in last year's Vuelta and could not compete for the overall. However, his gutsy attack on the Formigal stage pulled along Nairo Quintana (Movistar) and isolated Froome. The move helped Quintana win the race overall ahead of Froome.

"I will not abandon this race and I will stay here to enjoy it," Contador said. "Yes, this is a huge blow, but I hope to bounce back."

Trek has gifted Alberto Contador a very special Trek Émonda SLR ahead of the Vuelta a España, his final ever race.

The bike, which was given to him at the Trek-Segafredo team presentation, has a unique paint scheme which includes references to all the major races he has won, including all three Grand Tours and countless shorter stage races.

Contador's personal slogan 'querer es poder' (where there's a will, there's a way) is emblazoned on the bike.

Contador first won the Tour de France in 2007 with his Discovery Channel team, before moving to Astana in 2009 and winning it again.

In 2008, Contador also won both the Vuelta and the Giro d'Italia. He later won the Giro again in 2015 and the Vuelta twice more in 2012 and 2015. Such a formidable palmarès firmly sets the Spaniard in the sport's top riders, which Trek says this bike is supposed to celebrate.

Watch: Vuelta a España 2017 essential guide

Commenting on his new bike, Contador said: "to get this new bike is a big surprise for me and I am really happy to be able to ride my last Vuelta on it.

"I got my first big results on a Trek bike, of which my first Tour de France in 2007 really stands out, and it will also be the bike on which I say goodbye to the grand tours and to my professional career, which has a big sentimental value for me."

Ultimately, Contador says that "I believe it’s a bike that reflects me and my career completely, and I think it's one the fans will also embrace."

The Vuelta begins on Saturday with a team time trial in Nîmes. In total, there are nine summit finishes, which could favour the Spaniards cavalier and aggressive riding style should be choose to attack.

Alberto Contador may have picked out Chris Froome and Vincenzo Nibali as his two favourites for the Vuelta a España, but the three-time Vuelta champion also insisted he will be racing with his focus very much on victory in what is set to be the final event of his career.

"As far as the favourites go, you have to start by looking at Vincenzo Nibali, who rode the Giro and has had time to prepare for the Tour," the Trek-Segafredo leader said in his eve-of-Vuelta press conference in Nîmes.

"But the big favourite for me is Chris Froome. He’s very strong, the time trial will suit him and he has a very strong team. Most of them could be leaders in other teams. We’ll have to see how Aru, Bardet, Yates and the others who did the Tour have recovered."

>>> Nine Grand Tour stages that defined Alberto Contador's career

Contador affirmed, though, that he hasn’t come to the Vuelta simply to do a final lap of honour before retiring.

"I’ve come to this Vuelta determined to enjoy myself, but I always give the maximum in competition. I will be professional to the very last day of racing," he stated.

"This Vuelta is special and I want to enjoy it to the max. I’m fortunate to have this opportunity to say goodbye. I’ve come here with the idea of fighting for victory, but I’ll have to see how my legs are and how my rivals are going as well."

>>> Vuelta a España 2017: Who are the bookmakers backing for victory?

This is the first time in his career that Contador has ridden the Vuelta on the back of finishing the Tour de France, and he admitted he’s unsure what his form will be like.

"My preparation has been quite different coming into this Vuelta. I’ve tried to rest as much as possible at home in Madrid. I’ve done a few good training rides and I’ve recovered well, but there are some questions over my condition," he said.

Watch: Vuelta a España 2017 essential guide

Speaking about his decision to retire at the end of the Vuelta, Contador revealed he had been 70 per cent sure about taking this step before he started the Tour. Events there cemented the decision.

"I’d been talking with Trek about a deal to run through to the 2018 Giro d’Italia, but I was not really sure that I wanted to continue that far. The most important thing going into the Tour was to arrive at the start in the best possible condition and I managed to do that," he said.

>>> Trek-Segafredo in no rush to find replacement for Alberto Contador

"My condition, the numbers from training were as good as they had been in 2014, and my weight was better than it had been throughout my career. But stage nine proved the key moment.

"The crashes and setbacks I had on that stage into Chambéry made me realise it was time to stop. I also wanted to give the team time to think about its future.’

The Spaniard confirmed he’s happy with the decision and nothing will now change his mind, not even a fourth victory in Madrid.

"There is no better place than this for me to finish my career, with the support of this team behind me and with all of the fans on the road to Madrid," he concluded.

Trek-Segafredo will not in a rush to replace Spaniard Alberto Contador, winner of seven Grand Tours, when he retires after the Vuelta a España.

The American WorldTour team for now will rely on Dutchman Bauke Mollema and a developing roster in 2018.

>>> ‘The Vuelta a España will be the usual horrendous race, the toughest stage race of 2017’

"We need to see if someone comes out the Vuelta, you usually get some stars emerging. We are going to remain calm for now," general manager Luca Guercilena told Cycling Weekly.

"It's clear that the trading has advanced, riders have made their decisions, but you never know what happens on the market and you might find an opportunity."

Three-time Vuelta a España winner Contador starts the three-week Spanish tour, his last race, on Saturday.

Mollema, 30, began the Tour de France this July in a support role for Contador after placing seventh overall in the Giro d'Italia. He won to Puy-en-Velay on stage 15 of the Tour and and finished 17th overall.

In past editions of the Tour, he placed sixth and seventh overall but has fared better in the Vuelta, placing fourth in 2011.

"Mollema becoming more and more solid every year and we want to support him. We'd like to find someone for the Giro, maybe not already for 2018, but someone we can work with over time," Guercilena continued.

"We are going to assess the opportunities when they come. We are not going to go crazy because we have to replace Alberto at all costs."

"When you make an investment like that, it takes time and planning before you decide.

"We have good rider in the team already [with Mollema]. Clearly, though, Alberto won't be easy to replace, but since we made investments to grow with young riders a couple years back, we are in a place to work on that."

Trek had thought that the team would begin 2018 with Contador and Mollema, and had budgeted accordingly when looking at signing new riders.

However, after a disappointing Tour de France, 34-year-old Contador decided to end his career already in 2017.

Time passed in the short and precious transfer window before Contador made his retirement announcement on August 7. In that time, some big riders, like Fabio Aru, already inked deals with other teams.

"[Aru is] a classy rider, he showed that in the Tour, but we can't regret how things have gone," Guercilena said.

"Clearly, the market moved on, but let’s see what happens in the Vuelta if something comes up."

Of the big stage racers, only Fabio Aru and Daniel Martin have yet to announce his 2018 plans. It is unclear if Martin, sixth in the Tour, will stay with Quick-Step, move to a team like UAE Team Emirates as rumoured or find another team.

Aru, racing in the Vuelta, reportedly already agreed to a deal with UAE.

Trek-Segafredo management say that they saw Alberto Contador's retirement coming based on his performance in the Tour de France in July.

The two-time Spanish winner of the Tour from Madrid's suburbs announced on August 7 that the Vuelta a España over the next three weeks will be his last race.

>>> Nine Grand Tour stages that defined Alberto Contador’s career

"You can't say it was a suspire, but the idea, clearly, was to have him for the upcoming [2018] season, but as I always said a rider of his calibre has to decide on his own when it's time to stop," general manager Luca Guercilena told Cycling Weekly.

"After the Tour, we talked about it. In the last part of the Tour, the decision came. It's clear that we accept his reasoning."

The 2007 and 2009 Tour winner fell multiple times in the first weeks of the race.

Contador's grit sets him apart from his rivals, with his ability to attack and shred the peloton bringing him many victories in his career. He searched, but could not find a win in the 2017 Tour.

The Col du Galibier stage proved to be his last big Tour de France attack.

Those watching saw a flash of the former great, but not the entire package. He bridged to the early escape and dropped Nairo Quintana (Movistar), but faded shortly after with Primoz Roglic (LottoNL-Jumbo) riding clear to his first Tour de France stage win in Serre Chevalier.

"Given how [the Tour] went, he must have had a good think about it and decided to stop. It's his decision," Guercilena added.

"We had an agreement in place, but the option for him was to always be able to decide when he wanted to stop. Both parties were happy, we were happy with him and he was happy with us, it wasn't a decision made because he was upset with us."

Watch: Alberto Contador's Trek Émonda

Contador, 34, joined the American WorldTour team after riding for teams Tinkoff, Saxo Bank, Astana, Discovery Channel, Liberty Seguros/ONCE.

In addition to the two Tour titles, he also claimed overall victories in the 2008 and 2015 editions of the Giro d'Italia, and 2008, 2012, and 2014 editions of the Vuelta a España.

Contador released a message on social media last week to announce his retirement after the Vuelta.

“I say this happy, without sadness," he explained. It’s a decision that I have thought very well and I don’t think there is a better farewell than in the home race and in my country.

“I’m sure they will be three wonderful weeks enjoying all your affection, and I’m eager that they come. Greetings, and see you on the road from August 19."