Alberto Contador won his first race of the season at the Volta ao Algave, and in doing so sent a clear message to all his Tour de France rivals. The Spaniard finished within the bunch on the final stage - won by Heinrich Haussler in a bunch sprint - but claimed the overall classification by virtue of his second place on the mountaintop finish on stage three, and victory in the following day's time trial in Tavira.
It was Contador's ninth professional win of his career and an ominous sign of form as he builds up to the Tour de France in July. But while he was happy with his early season performance, Contador was keen to make out that victory here in Portugal signified just one step in accomplishing his bigger goal. "This is the first step toward preparing for the Tour. I had a good training camp, but I never know what to expect in your first race. The team worked hard and when the opportunity presented itself, we capitalised. Now I will look to Paris-Nice, a race that I won two years ago," said Contador.
