Olympic Games and Vuelta a Espana could offer redemption opportunities for Spaniard
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A bandaged and bruised Alberto Contador finishes stage 1 of the Tour de France after a crash earlier in the day.(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Ivan basso and Alberto Contador are ready for the start.
Alberto Contador gathers a throng of media after stage 5.
Tinkoff's Alberto Contador at the finish of stage 5.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
This time the injuries are less severe, however, the full extent of the ailments, and the needed recovery time has not yet been disclosed to the public. In hindsight, his Tour was lost as soon as his front wheel slipped from under him on the first stage, with the second fall on stage 2 only compounding his health issues and knocking his confidence. He looked resigned when he sat on the tarmac in the pouring rain on the road to Cherbourg. He may have already known that his game was over.
The broadest smile of Contador's entire Tour came at the start of stage 8, when Cyclingnews asked if would sign for Trek-Segafredo on the rest day. "I don't know," plus that grin, was his response, and today's departure is highly unlikely to alter where Contador puts his signature for 2017.
The Olympics were part of Contador's pre-Tour plans, the road course is one that suits him, but it is difficult to predict whether a complete Tour or a break will play into his hands should he head to Rio. So much depends on the real extent of his injures.
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Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
