Bruyneel would have preferred Dauphiné Libéré with Contador

Astana team manager Johan Bruyneel has admitted that he would have preferred to have won the Dauphiné Libéré with Alberto Contador than the Giro, in order to spite Tour de France organisers, ASO.

"I must confess that I would have preferred to win the Dauphiné Libéré with my 2007 Tour winner," Bruyneel told Belgian newspaper HLN. "Less than a month before the start of the Tour I would have liked to rubbed it into to those guys in Paris. The Giro unfortunately decided otherwise. Contador had gone to Italy for a week to race because organiser Angelo Zomegnan requested his presence.

"For the Giro, we had Andreas Klöden and Levi Leipheimer. But after a week and after the first time trial it was clear to everyone that Contador could win the Giro. If you must choose between a Giro or Dauphiné Libéré win, the choice is made quickly.

"After Alberto's Italian victory he was greeted with a lot of enthusiasm in Madrid. I am no longer keeping the discussions going [with the ASO]. I've put a lot of energy into it but I don't want to put my health on the line. In France, they have lost all reasonableness, the UCI has become a powerless body and the teams don't dare oppose the Tour organisers. Why should I get myself worked up about that," Bruyneel concluded.