Contador looking forward to vacation

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Even though Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank) has only had two months of competition this year due to his doping suspension, the 2012 Vuelta a España winner is looking forward to take some rest following his last race, the Giro di Lombardia this Saturday. The Spaniard took part in the Giro d'Italia presentation in Milan on Sunday, then flew home to recover from what has still been a long year for him.

"It was a season without a lot of racing days, but they were very concentrated, and with a lot of really hard training days. This year wore me out, physically as well as psychologically," Contador stated.

At the same time, the results he was able to score since returning to competition at the beginning of August "couldn't have been better. I'm very, very happy. I came back at the Eneco Tour, a race that is 'anti-Alberto', so to speak: completely flat. I still managed to finish fourth and I'm very happy with that result. In the Vuelta, I achieved what I wanted after a very hard fight. It was a very beautiful race this year and I think it was good for everyone.

"Then, the worlds were normal even though I had good sensations and I was a protagonist. Finally, I can't ask for anything more after this week in Italy and after having spent so many months without competition," Contador added.

Now, the Spaniard was looking very much forward to his holidays. "From now on, I will rest and disconnect a bit from the bike. I need to give my body and my head some rest. until the next team meeting, which will be mid-November on the island of Gran Canaria, I will not touch the bike at all."