CONTADOR'S NOSE SURGERY A SUCCESS

This year's Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana champion Alberto Contador has undergone a successful operation on his nose and throat.

The Spanish grand tour specialist received surgery at the Ramon y Cajal hospital in Madrid yesterday (Monday) to rectify a nasal problem caused by broken sunglasses fragments as a result of a crash during this year's Giro d'Italia.

At the same time, Contador also received treatment for a throat polyp, which has been causing the Astana rider problems with loss of voice.

Contador is set to join new team-mate Lance Armstrong at an Astana training camp in the Canary Islands commencing this weekend. He hopes to return to competition at the Vuelta a Valencia, Spain, in February 2009.

Contador is the only current rider in the peloton to have won all three grand tours - the Giro (2008), Vuelta (2008) and Tour de France (2007).

RELATED LINKS

Monday's international news round-up