Contador finished ninth in this year's Tour de France but failed to mount a genuine overall challenge after a run of crashes in the second week saw him drop out of contention. He rallied with a series of long-range breaks but missed out on rescuing his campaign with a stage win. He was expected to sign a contract extension with Trek-Segafredo on one of the race's rest days, but talks were put off until after the race, with the rider and the team choosing to focus on results.
Contador signed for Trek-Segafredo at the start of the year. He initially agreed a one-year deal with the option of a second. The US-registered WorldTour team are keen for the Spaniard to re-sign and have told Cyclingnews that the delay is not down to hesitation on their part.
"We're having some days off at home now, but we'll discuss things with Alberto over the weekend. I will talk to him over the phone. From there, we'll see what direction things are moving in," Trek Segafredo's Luca Guercilena told Cyclingnews.
"He has the option with us for 2018, and our idea is to have him on board for next year, but it's up to him to decide what he wants to do. Nothing is really expected to be finalised in the next few days though."
Not looking for another team
Cyclingnews understands that Contador is not looking for another team, meaning that his hesitation to sign comes down to other factors. He is keen to make the Giro d'Italia is focus for 2018, while his participation in this year's Vuelta a Espana – according to Guercilena – is not yet set in stone.
"We just want a common decision and to arrive at one where we are all happy. He knows that from our side that there's the option for him to stay but like we've always said it's his choice. That's why we postponed things until after the Tour. That was a tough race for him."
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Guercilena dismissed Contador's decision to push back talks until after the Tour as a potential sign that the 34-year-old could be contemplating retirement after a bruising three weeks.
"Hopefully not but there's always the chance. A rider like him, a champion, always wants to retire when they're at the top but it's difficult to say if there's a chance of retirement or not."
The discussions over race programmes and objectives appear to the most pressing issues for Contador and Trek-Segafredo.
"We have not discussed the race calendar right now. Like I said the Tour was really tough and we didn't want to discuss the future. I know that Steven de Jongh said that the Giro would be best for Alberto but that's really not something we've not really talked about together yet. For sure, we'd want him to do one Grand Tour with us. The Giro is an option, but it's just an idea to have in mind right now."
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.
