Surgery for Contador

Alberto Contador will undergo surgery Monday in Madrid on his nose and vocal cords. The surgery will delay the Team Astana rider's training for the upcoming season for a few weeks.

The operation will correct a deviated septum and remove a polyp from his vocal cords. He said that at some point this year he crashed and his glasses hit him hard on the nose. "Although I did not think that the bruise it caused was important, I have noticed certain breathing problems since then." he said.

The 25-year-old also said that for more than a year he has had problems with his voice and larynx. The doctors have found a polyp on his vocal cords which will be removed.

After the surgery, Contador must give his throat absolute rest and not speak for a number of days. "It will be uncomfortable and will also prevent me from training properly on Tenerife," he said. Team Astana is holding its first training camp on the island in early December.

Contador did not believe the surgery will hurt his preparations for the coming season. "It will perhaps delay me a couple of weeks but that is not important." He expects to have time to be well-prepared for his first race, presumably the Vuelta a Valencia.