Cycling Profile: Alberto Contador Velasco - Part 1
Alberto Contador Velasco is a Spanish professional road bicycle race and he was born on December 6, 1982 at Pinot, in Spain. Currently, he rode for Saxo Bank-SunGard team. In 2001 he won the under-23 Spanish time trial Championship.
He is considered as one of the best climbing specialist as well as a stage racer in the world. Due to his good efforts Contador won the title in 2008 Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a Espana and two times he won the Tour de France in 2009 and 2010. He started his
professional career in 2003 and took his first victory, after won the eight stage of Tour de Pologne, an individual time trial race.
As an amateur, Contador discovered cycling in age of 14 with the help of his young brother Francisco Javier. He competes in races in age of 15 and took a part in the Real Velo Club Portillo. Although, he failed to gain any victory in this year but he showed
his great qualities and soon nicknamed Pantani (one of the best climber) for climbing skills. In 2000, he took several mountain standing events.
During in the season of 2004 Vuelta a Asturias Contador felt that he was not able to perform at hundred percent in the race as he fell and went into convulsion after forty kilometers. He was diagnosed with a cerebral cavernoma which he underwent a risky
operation and in the end of that year he won the fifth stage of the 2005 Tour down under racing. He continued, took the third stage and overall standing of Setmana Catalana. During the Vuelta al País Vasco, at the same season he also won an individual time
trial, Contador finish the third and fourth stage of the Tour de Romandie where he finished the fourth stage overall.
In the 2006 season, he won the 2nd overall classification at Tour de Romandie and Tour de Suisse in training for the Tour de France. Prior to the start of the race he and several team members were declared in the Operación Puerto doping case by
the Spanish authorities. Due to this reason the team was not able to start the game but shortly he was cleared by the Union Cycliste Internationale.
Contador won his first major victory after winning the final stage of 2007 Paris Nice. Plus in the 2007 Tour de France, he won the stage at the mountaintop finish of Plateau de Beille, as well as he was second in the general classification to Michael Rasmussen.
After that he was qualify in the stage 19 individual time trial he managed to keep hold the yellow jersey and he performed well and got the victory. The discovery channel announced 2007 would be its final season in cycling, meanwhile the Contador announced
on October 23, 2007 that he was to shift to the Astana team for the 2008 season.
Contador next scheduled race and purpose was the Dauphine Libere but suddenly his team-mates received invites to the 2008 Giro d’ltalia one week prior to start the race. At that time, Contador was in Spain when he told he was going to ride the Giro d’ltalia.
He finished second in the first individual time trial and he winning the final pink jersey in Milan. He became the first non Italian to win the Giro.
After winning the Giro stage, Alberto told the media, "taking part in the Giro and winning it was a really big achievement, bigger than if I'd had a second victory in the Tour de France."
Contador also took first and fourth stage and grabbed overall lead in Vuelta a Castilla y Leon. He also took first and sixth stage as well as secured overall standing in Vuelta al Pais Vasco.
Continued in Part 2
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