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.
Alberto Contador's Strava stats from the Tour des Stations 2021
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.
>>> Team DSM respond to rumours of unrest inside the squad
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.
Thank you for reading 10 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
-
-
Cannonade’s Compact Neo e-bike: lots of style, moderate functionality, hard-to-beat price
We review Cannondale's smallest and lightest e-bike yet.
-
Here's why we think Primož Roglič used a gravel groupset on Giro d'Italia's Queen stage
Primož Roglič used a gravel groupset on Giro d'Italia's Queen stage. Here's why.
-
Hackers can find your home on Strava even if you use privacy settings, researchers find
Belgian study shows "protected zones" can still be accessed by hackers 85% of the time
-
Tadej Pogačar claims Kwaremont-Paterberg Strava KOM in Tour of Flanders romp
The two-time Tour de France winner took a host of Strava trophies in Flanders on Sunday
-
American cyclist aims to break Strava record with a 950-mile cross spanning three states
The Guinness World Record attempt will traverse three state lines and is expected to take seven days to finish
-
Strava recognises French velociraptor as largest GPS drawing ever made by bike
Velociraptor measuring 1,024.72 kilometres took more than 43 hours to complete
-
Strava insists new pricing structure is legal
The company is varying its subscription prices depending on the user's country of residence
-
Strava apologises for 'confusing' subscription price hike
Fitness tracking app has sought to clarify changes to pricing after initial "very confusing" messaging
-
'Strava inflation' takes on new meaning with price rise above 25%
'Strava inflation' could previously be applied to the growth in user numbers and subsequent increase in segment speeds, now it signifies a notable price rise
-
The Strava community has spoken… here are the changes they want to see made to the app in 2023
One request cropped up more than anything else
