Contador targets Tour and Olympics

By Hedwig Kröner

These last months have been quite busy for Alberto Contador, the youngest Spaniard ever to win the Tour de France. Jetting from one invitation to the next, the Discovery Channel rider has had very little time to unwind after his big victory last July. Still, coming home after the Amstel Curaçao race on the Caribbean island, he managed to schedule in an interview with Cyclingnews, and revealed that he not only intended to defend his title at the 2008 Tour de France, but also had an eye on the other big event next season: the Beijing Olympics.

Even though Contador's racing schedule is far from being set in stone at this point, one thing was already clear: "The whole of my programme will be made to target the Tour de France," the 25 year-old predictably said. "All the races that I will do prior to July will bring me up to that goal. So I could be doing Paris-Nice [a race which the 2007 winner of the event holds particularly dear, as it shaped his evolution as a rider - ed.] – after all, I am a rider and I love to race – but the only thing on my mind next year will be the Tour."

Nevertheless, Contador revealed that he was flirting with yet another important competition next year: the Beijing Olympics. "The Olympic road race is only 10 days after the Tour de France finishes," he said. "The parcours is very difficult, and I would love to go there. Even if I may not be the man for the victory – maybe I can help a team-mate to win. Or just be there... The Olympics take place only once every four years, so I really want to use the opportunity."

Look out for an extensive interview with Alberto Contador in the coming days on Cyclingnews.