Alberto Contador not revealing his Grand Tour programme for the 2013 season
Alberto Contador is probably the top stage race cyclist currently in the peloton, best known for his absolute strength in the long stages.
The cyclist still has not made his final pick on any one of the three Grand Tours for the new season and will prefer to keep his options open.
His love for the Tour de France is not hidden form any one and it is not really a difficult decision for someone like Contador however, one problem that is causing the delay in his decision is Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank’s World Tour status.
“We must see all the possibilities and at the moment we are waiting to see if the team will be in the WorldTour or not, because that’s a big difference,” Contador stated.
“My statements have not been at all a way to pressure the Tour, what I said is that we analyze all the possibilities".
"I would like to be there, of course. Last year I couldn’t go and the year before I wasn’t at my best, but this isn’t to put pressure on the Tour”.
“You need to know in time so as to be able to give them guarantees,” he concluded.
The team performed poorly in the 2012 season and could not secure enough points to ensure its World Tour status at the top level of the sport.
Team’s top performer, Contador was accused of using clenbuterol at the Tour de France 2010 and was banned for a period of two years.
The ban restricted him from riding all the major World Tour events including the Tour de France, Giro d’ Italia and also the London Olympics.
Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank’s General Manager, Bjarne Riis was also in danger of losing his side’s World Tour status for the 2012 season after he lost Contador who contributed almost 70 % of the total UCI points in the 2011 season.
However, UCI allowed the team to continue enjoying its World Tour status but the Danish side could not really do much in absence of the Spaniard.
Riis’ team only managed to secure 401 UCI points and had to settle for the 15th overall position after the UCI World Tour team’s rankings 2012 and is still not confirm if it receives the World Tour status for the 2013 season or not.
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