Race leader Alberto Contador and teammate Daniel Navarro await the start of stage 5.(Image credit: Rafael Gómez Alonso)
Daniel Navarro leads before the decisive attack(Image credit: Rafael Gómez Alonso)
Daniel Navarro (Saxo Bank-Sungard) works his way up through the fans.(Image credit: Jon Devich/Cyclingnews.com/epicimages.us)
The collective strength of Team Saxo Bank will give Alberto Contador the advantage over Andy and Fränk Schleck, said Daniel Navarro. The Spaniard is looking to help his teammate win the Tour de France again in 2012.
"The Schleck brothers have a really good team. At Saxo Bank we don't really have the big names, but we're all good friends and understand each others' needs. It is better that we all agree, than that there are big names on the team. I think that Alberto's riders are more motivated and can work more efficiently,” Navarro told feltet.dk.
The lack of big names on his support team is nothing new to Contador. “I remember in 2010 when it was said that Alberto did not have a useful team, and there were no good riders. The Tour showed Astana to be the best team,” Navarro said. “It may be the same situation next year where he also focuses exclusively on the Tour and probably do well.”
"It is certainly possible for him to win. He is very motivated for it. There is a lot of time trial trial and it's good for him when Schleck brothers are not so good at it, so he has an advantage over them.”
He acknowledged that the Schlecks are not the only rivals, as Contador must also face 2011 Tour champion Cadel Evans. “He probably does not have an advantage over Evans on that point, but I think that Alberto is very strong and I hope he wins,” Navarro said.
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