By Antonio J. Salmerón
Alberto Contador sealed the overall classification at the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon on Friday after getting over the Santa Inés and Piqueras climbs without difficulties while Fransisco Ventoso won the fifth and final stage.
"Thanks to my teammates for controlling the race," Contador said after the final stage. The most pressure came for Contador and Discovery on the second climb of the day. "It was complicated to defend my leadership in this last stage because Koldo Gil and his teammates, mainly Juan José Cobo, attacked us. But I felt very well, and Leipheimer does not allow any complications."
The Spanish Discovery Channel leader is "very happy" and says he must now "decide on my presence in the Vuelta al País Vasco," explaining that he has held his form for a long time already this season and may need a break. "I fulfilled the goals I planned for this first part of this season. If I take part in the Vuelta al País Vasco, it will be different from other years (where Contador contended for the overall - finishing eigth in 2006), because, although I like the race very much, I have already done what I wanted."
