2016 is almost certainly Contador's last season at WorldTour level and perhaps his last year of racing. He intends to target a third victory at the Tour de France and a fourth victory at home in the Vuelta a Espana.
"The Giro is always special for me. It's the most beautiful race in the world. But next year it'll be good to watch the Giro on television… " Contador joked in his slowly improving English, perhaps remembering how much he suffered to win this year's race.
"It will actually be hard to watch it on television, but I want to go to the Tour with a guarantee of doing well and so I think it's better if I don't do the Giro," he said.
Contador had to sit through the drawn out route presentation and even though he will not ride, he quickly analysed the route.
"It'll be a tough race, it's always a hard race and will be especially so with three time trials and also with high mountains. With the weather in May, they're always hard stages,” he explained.
"I don’t think there's a key stage to any Grand Tour - you always have to be ready, be consistent, and take every opportunity. The first mountain finish is always an important indication of who is going well. I took the pink jersey on stage five, which showed I was on form and boosted my confidence."
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"I think it suits riders for the big Tours, I think it's perfect for Nibali," he added, agreeing that it could also suit an emerging Grand Tour contender like Tom Dumoulin. The Dutchman is one of several riders tempted to ride the 2016 Giro d'Italia because of the start in the Netherlands and the 60km of individual time trials.
"I think this Giro could also be good for him too," Contador said. "There are good time trials for him and if he's at the same level as in the Vuelta, he has a big option on the win."
Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.
